The short answer:
Dangerously low sodium blood level occur when sodium blood level decreases rapidly within a few hours (less than 48 h, Acute hyponatremia). This condition dangerously affects your brain functions and bad outcomes usually result. Find more about the dangerously low sodium blood levels in this article.
Key Facts:
- Dangerous low sodium levels usually occur when your sodium blood level decreases rapidly within 48 hours (acute hyponatremia).
- This rapid decrease in sodium level is difficult for brain cells to accommodate. This leads to swelling of brain cells that may lead to cerebral edema and could lead to death.
- Dangerously low sodium level may occur when your sodium blood levels decrease below 115 mmol/L.
- Serious condition of low sodium level (Severe hyponatremia) when your sodium blood level is lower than 125 mmol/ L.
- When your sodium blood level is less than 115 mmol/L, It is a critical condition of hyponatremia that needs immediate treatment.
Content:
What does sodium level tell you?
What are the three types of hyponatremia?
Which is more dangerous acute or chronic hyponatremia?
Dangerously low sodium blood level
What does sodium level tell you?
The normal level of sodium in your blood is between 135- 145 mmol/L.
When your sodium blood level is higher than 145 mmol/L, it is known as hypernatremia (increased sodium blood level above the normal range).
Hyponatremia means your sodium blood level is below 135 mmol/L.
If your sodium blood level is less than 125 mmol/L, it is a serious condition of hyponatremia (severe hyponatremia).
When your sodium blood level is less than 115 mmol/L, It is a critical condition that needs immediate treatment.
What are the three types of hyponatremia?
- The blood sodium level is normally associated with water body content. Therefore, hyponatremia may result from one of the following conditions (Ref):
- Euvolemic hyponatremia: when the total body water increases, but your body’s sodium content stays the same, this means dilution occurs to sodium levels.
- Hypervolemic hyponatremia: when both sodium and water content in your body increase, but the water gain is greater.
- Hypovolemic hyponatremia: when both water and sodium are lost from your body, but the sodium loss is greater.
Hyponatremia could also be classified into three categories according to the sodium blood level:
- Mild hyponatremia: sodium blood level is between130-135 mmol/L
- Moderate hyponatremia: sodium blood level is between 125-129 mmol/L
- Profound hyponatremia: sodium blood level is below 125 mmol/L
Which is more dangerous acute or chronic hyponatremia?
There are two main types of hyponatremia according to the onset of occurrence.
Acute hyponatremia
- It is the most dangerous Hyponatremia.
- Acute hyponatremia occurs when your sodium blood level decreases rapidly in a short period of time (less than 48 hours) (Ref).
The main causes of acute hyponatremia are the following:
- Excessive water intake.
- Patients receiving hypotonic solutions during surgery.
- For those with extreme physical activities such as running a marathon.
- Some causes of severe vomiting, diarrhea, or sweating.
Chronic hyponatremia
- It means your sodium blood level decreases gradually over days or weeks.
- Less dangerous than acute hyponatremia because your body has time to adjust to the decrease in sodium level.
- You may have only mild symptoms.
- Chronic hyponatremia commonly occurs in patients with heart failure, live cirrhosis, and lung cancer.
Dangerously low sodium blood level
- The main physiological function of sodium is to regulate water content in and outside the cells. It is mostly found in your body fluids outside the cells controlling water balance.
- In case of abnormal sodium levels, disturbance of water movement in and out of the cells leads to dangerous complications.
- When the sodium level is low, water moves out of the bloodstream to tissue cells leading to cell swelling.
- Most of your body tissues could accommodate this swelling, however, your brain is more sensitive to this swelling, and therefore serious problems results.
What is the effect of low sodium levels on the brain?
- When the sodium level in the fluids outside cells drops below normal, water moves into the cells to maintain the normal balance. This leads to cell swelling with too much water leading to what is known as cerebral edema.
- Because your brain is contained in a fixed place inside the skull, as a result, when swelling occurs there is no space to expand. Therefore, it pushes up against your rigid skull, and the pressure on your brain increases (Ref).
The effect of low sodium levels on brain function includes
Early symptoms
- Confusion
- Headache
- Irritability
When cell swelling progresses, this leads to
- Loss of consciousness
- Hallucination
- Coma
- Death in some cases
These serious and life-threatening effects of low sodium levels are more related to acute hyponatremia which occurs rapidly within 48 hours and there is no sufficient time for the brain to accommodate the low sodium levels.
In contrast, in chronic hyponatremia which occurs over days or weeks, your brain has mechanisms that allow it to adapt to the low sodium levels with little swelling.
A study published in 2018 reported that acute hyponatremia is more dangerous than chronic and severe cases of chronic hyponatremia aren’t life-threatening.
In addition to the effect of low sodium levels on brain functions, Sodium plays a vital role in the proper function of the nerves, muscles, and other body tissues
The effect of low sodium levels on muscle function
- Critically low sodium levels lead to
- Muscle weakness
- Cramps and spasm
FAQs:
1. Can low sodium be life-threatening?
Yes, serious low sodium blood levels could be a life-threatening health problem. The low sodium blood levels could lead to seizures, coma, and death especially if it occurs rapidly within a few hours.
The brain is the mostly affected organ with a low sodium level. In this case, swelling of the brain cells could result in serious mental complications which could be fatal.
2. Is a sodium level of 110 dangerous?
Yes, a sodium blood level of 110 mmol/L is considered a dangerous level.
Hyponatremia means your sodium blood level is below 135 mmol/L.
When sodium blood level decrease below 115 it is considered dangerous hyponatremia.
3. Can I eat bananas with hyponatremia?
Bananas are rich in potassium. Potassium helps in regulating sodium blood levels. The more potassium you eat, the more sodium your body eliminates. So, it is better to avoid eating bananas when you have a low sodium blood level.
