Water intoxication can happen to anyone, specialists warn

Oct 1, 2015 18:45 GMT  ·  By
Drinking too much water can lead to a sodium imbalance, specialists caution
2 photos
   Drinking too much water can lead to a sodium imbalance, specialists caution

In a recent report in the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, medical experts detail the case of a 47-year-old woman who passed away after drinking too much water while on a hike in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. 

The official cause of death was cerebral edema, which is an excess of fluid in the intracellular or extracellular spaces of the brain and which specialists say was in turn caused by water intoxication.

There is such a thing as drinking too much water

This rather puzzling incident played out back in 2008. As mentioned, the woman went on a hike in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. She walked for about 5 hours and covered 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) of the South Kaibab Trail.

While on this hike, she ate very little food. She did, however, drink copious amounts of water, looking to keep herself hydrated. Unfortunately, she drank so much of it that she developed an extreme sodium imbalance.

About an hour after the hike, she collapsed. She was rushed to the hospital but doctors failed to help her. In less than a day, she developed cerebral edema and passed away, Science Daily informs.

In their report in the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, specialists show how a series of unfortunate events contributed to the 47-year-old woman's death as a result of water intoxication.

In 2008, first responders didn't carry blood analyzers, and so the woman's blood wasn't tested before she was taken to the hospital. Then, when doctors did test her blood, they didn't think her sodium levels low enough to warrant a water intoxication diagnosis.

What's more, as part of her initial treatment, the 47-year-old woman was administered fluids. Since too much water was what was causing her symptoms, having more fluids pumped into her body likely made things worse.

A view of the Grand Canyon National Park
A view of the Grand Canyon National Park

Oddly, water intoxication resembles dehydration

Water intoxication, otherwise known to medical experts as exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH, for short), is basically overhydration. All the same, its symptoms are very similar to those of dehydration, specialists say.

Thus, people who drink too much water and who develop a sodium imbalance as a result are prone to symptoms such as nausea, headaches, malaise, vomiting, even seizures and altered mental states. These manifestations can also be caused by dehydration, which is why the two conditions are easily confused.

In fact, in the case of athletes and people who engage in strenuous physical activities over prolonged periods of time, it makes more sense to assume that dehydration rather than overhydration is what's making then sick.

This is precisely why it is important that more be done to make people aware of the early symptoms of water intoxication, especially now that outdoor endurance activities are becoming more popular and so more people are vulnerable to this potentially fatal condition, even if they don't know it yet.

“We hope that this report of a fatal outcome from EAH and the discussion about the importance of rapid recognition and treatment will stimulate others to develop more appropriate systems for the recognition and treatment of EAH,” says specialist Martin D. Hoffman.

“Early recognition and treatment of symptomatic EAH with hypertonic saline has been demonstrated to be safe and effective, and is now the mainstay of current management guidelines,” adds researcher Thomas M. Myers.

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Drinking too much water can lead to a sodium imbalance, specialists caution
A view of the Grand Canyon National Park
Open gallery