Key takeaways
- Hypernatremia, or high sodium in the blood, often stems from losing too much water or gaining too much sodium, leading to an imbalance in your body.
- Symptoms of hypernatremia include excessive thirst, lethargy, and confusion; and in severe cases, muscle issues, seizures, and coma.
- Treatment for hypernatremia focuses on restoring the body’s fluid and sodium balance, which may involve increasing fluid intake or receiving intravenous fluids in more serious situations.
If you have hypernatremia, it means you have too much sodium—or salt— in the blood. Sodium is an important nutrient for proper functioning of the body. Most of the body’s sodium is found in your blood. It’s also a necessary part of your body’s lymph fluids and cells.
In many cases, hypernatremia is mild and doesn’t cause serious problems. However, in order to prevent or reverse problems caused by hypernatremia, it’s important to correct high sodium levels.
Read on to learn more about the role of sodium in your body and when high levels may result in a medical emergency.
Hypernatremia
Changes in water intake or water loss can affect the regulation of the concentration of sodium in the blood. Changes in fluid can be caused by dramatic changes in thirst or changes in urine concentration.
In healthy people, thirst and urine concentration are
The main symptom of hypernatremia is excessive thirst. Other symptoms are lethargy, which is extreme fatigue and lack of energy, as well as possibly confusion.
Advanced cases may also cause muscle twitching or spasms. That’s because sodium is important for how muscles and nerves work. With severe elevations of sodium, seizures and coma may occur.
Severe symptoms are rare and usually found only with rapid and large rises of sodium in the blood plasma.
Older adults are at an increased risk for hypernatremia. That’s because as you grow older, you’re more likely to have a decreased sense of thirst. You may also be more prone to illnesses that affect water or sodium balance.
Certain medical conditions also
- dehydration
- severe, watery diarrhea
- vomiting
- fever
- delirium or dementia
- certain medications
- poorly managed diabetes
- larger burn areas on the skin
- kidney disease
- a rare condition known as diabetes insipidus
Hypernatremia is often diagnosed through blood tests. Urine tests can also be used to identify atypical levels of sodium along with urine concentration. Both blood and urine tests are fast, minimally invasive tests that require little preparation.
Hypernatremia tends to develop as a result of underlying conditions. Other tests depend on your medical history and additional symptoms.
Hypernatremia can occur rapidly (within 24 hours) or develop more slowly over time (more than 24 to 48 hours). The speed of onset will help your doctor determine a treatment plan.
All treatment is based on correcting the fluid and sodium balance in your body. Rapidly developing hypernatremia will be treated more aggressively than hypernatremia that develops more slowly.
For mild cases, you may be able to treat the condition by increasing your fluid intake. For more severe cases, you’ll likely be connected to an IV drip. That’s used to intravenously supply fluid to your blood. If IV fluids are needed, you may be admitted to the hospital.
Your doctor will also monitor you to see if your sodium levels are improving, and they may adjust your fluid concentration accordingly.
Next steps
If you experience the symptoms of hypernatremia, it’s important to receive a diagnosis as soon as possible to correct your sodium levels.
- Make an appointment to see a doctor if you can do so right away.
- Visit an urgent care clinic if your doctor is not available.
- Request a blood or urine test to determine your sodium levels.
The outlook for hypernatremia is generally very good. This is especially true if the condition is found early, or if underlying problems are corrected or controlled.
Hypernatremia can often be treated outside the hospital. If hospitalization is needed, close monitoring helps ensure a healthy outcome.