Sodium is an important mineral because it functions as an electrolyte. This means that it has an electrical charge when it is dissolved in blood or other liquids in the body. Changes in electrolyte levels affect cells because they use electrolytes to maintain a small amount of electrical charge. If you have too little sodium in your blood, it can cause a condition known as hyponatremia.
Symptoms
The decrease in sodium blood levels can affect cells throughout the body, but nerve cells are the most sensitive to changes in sodium levels, the Merck Manuals notes. Thus, some of the earliest symptoms of hyponatremia involve dysfunction of the brain, such as sluggishness and lethargy. Hyponatremia can also cause irritability, restlessness and a loss of appetite. As the drop in sodium becomes more severe, other symptoms, such as seizures or muscle twitching can also manifest.
Causes
Hyponatremia can be caused by loss of sodium, an increase in total body water or both. Some medications, such as diuretics, can lead to hyponatremia because they can cause too much sodium to be lost from the body through the urine. Diarrhea, excessive sweating and vomiting can also cause sodium levels in the blood to drop. Other causes of hyponatremia include liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, congestive heart failure, burns and a condition known as syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, MedLinePlus states.
Treatment
One of the first goals of treatment for hyponatremia is to get your sodium levels back to normal, MayoClinic.com explains. This can be done by administering fluids with sodium, which may be done orally or intravenously. If you have moderate or severe hyponatremia, you may also need medications to control some of the symptoms, such as headache, dizziness or seizures. Doctors will also try to identify the cause of the hypotnatremia and correct it.
Prognosis
If you have hyponatremia, your prognosis is based in part on how quickly the imbalance occurred. If your sodium levels dropped rapidly over the course of 48 hours, you have a more dangerous case of hyponatremia because your brain cells may shrink due to the loss of sodium. Acute cases of hyponatremia can be a medical emergency and require immediate treatment. Chronic cases are usually easier to treat because the brain cells have had time to adapt to the changes in electrolytes.
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