How to Diagnose Hyponatremia

Hyponatremia is an imbalance of salt levels in the blood brought on by drinking too much fluid. It is a result of over-hydration. Hyponatremia occurs in patients with other conditions that cause them to retain fluid or in athletes in high-activity sports. Drinking too much dilutes salt levels in the body. When the salt level imbalance becomes too great, it causes vomiting, headaches and extreme fatigue.

Instructions

1. Evaluate your risk before trying to diagnose hyponatremia. Marathon runners, people on low-sodium diets and women over 30 are most likely to contract hyponatremia.

2. Note sudden-onset symptoms, such as vomiting, weakness or confusion, following heavy physical activity. Severe symptoms may include muscle spasms, seizures or loss of consciousness.

3. Identify gradual-onset symptoms. Repeated headaches, fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite unrelated to another health problem may indicate hyponatremia. Keep a chart of your physical activity and note the symptoms and dates of recurrence to discern a pattern.

4. Share your medical history and exercise or training program details with your doctor. Answer questions at the exam to determine possible causes. Your diet, medications or other health issues may be behind your hyponatremia symptoms.

5. Get a blood or urine test. This is the only conclusive way to diagnose hyponatremia. Your doctor will base your treatment on your medical history and the severity of your confirmed case.

Tips & Warnings

• If you know that you are prone to shifting salt levels in your blood due to salty sweat or kidney or liver disease, you should get tested for hyponatremia.

• Recurrent diarrhea may also cause hyponatremia. If you have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, testing is recommended for you.

• The common wisdom that it's best to hydrate as much as possible before and during lengthy sports exercise, such as marathon running and football, has been disproved. Gauge how much to drink by your thirst or ask your doctor how much you should be drinking.

• Hyponatremia, or over-hydration, shares symptoms with dehydration. Don't try to treat yourself by drinking as much or as little as you can.

• See a health care practitioner if your symptoms are severe or recurrent. Only medical testing can help your doctor diagnose this condition correctly.

• Some pain relief medications may mask or induce hyponatremia symptoms. Sports trainers recommend not using pain relievers the day before heavy exercise.

• Sudden-onset hyponatremia, in which the brain swells rapidly, can result in coma and death.