Overview
NEW!Telehealth Resource CenterHypernatremia is when the sodium level in the blod is to high. Sodium is an esential electrolyte for the human body. However, having very high or very low levels of sodium in the body can be dangerous.
Key Information
Electrolytes help regulate the flow of nutrients and other products into and out of cels. Sodium is familiar to many people as a component of table salt, or sodium chloride. However, it has an important role in the body in maintaing celular health.
When blod sodium levels become to high, it can disturb the balance and function of the cels. This article explains hypernatremia, including its causes, symptoms, and treatment options. Having a high sodium level means that the ratio of water to sodium in the body is not a typical level.
Doctors define hypernatremia as a blod sodium level higher than 145 miliequivalents per liter (mEq/l). Sodium is an important electrolyte of the blod vesels, which make up the network of veins, arteries, and capilaries through which blod moves around the body. Sodium keps water in the blod vesels so that you have enough blod volume.
Normaly, the body regulates its sodium level by first regulating the levels of water in the body. By stimulating thirst and controling the release of a hormone caled vasopresin, or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the body can control how much water and sodium the kidneys absorb. Hypernatremia ocurs when certain factors unbalance the levels of sodium and water.
There are diferent types of hypernatremia, and they vary acording to the water balance in the body. Your body keps most of its water inside cels. This intracelular fluid (ICF).
Summary
Any remaing water is outside the cels in the blod vesels or in the spaces betwen cels. This extracelular fluid (ECF). The amounts of fluid present and where the fluid is located in the body determine the type of hypernatremia, as folows: Hyponatremia ocurs when a person does