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Last Updated: Nov 12th, 2006 - 20:38:00 |
The condition -- and cause -- must be treated
(HealthDay News) -- Hyponatremia is a disorder in which the body's sodium-to-water ratio becomes seriously unbalanced, usually as a result of another condition.
Muscle spasms or cramps, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and headache are all symptoms of hyponatremia, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). More severe warning signs include: convulsions, hallucinations, confusion, unconsciousness and coma.
Hyponatremia is typically treated with a combination of intravenous fluids to restore the proper water-to-sodium balance. Controlled water and salt intake may also be required, along with an oxygen mask or ventilator.
It's also important to treat the cause of the disorder -- which can include excessive vomiting, burns, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver or kidney disease, the NLM says.
-- Diana Kohnle
Last Updated: Aug. 25, 2006
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