When the total amount of water ingested by the body greatly exceeds the amount of water excreted, so that water is retained in the body, causing a decrease in plasma osmolality and an increase in the amount of circulating blood, it is called water intoxication.

Clinical manifestations:

1, acute water intoxication.

The onset of acute, due to the increase in the amount of intracellular and extracellular fluid, the cranial cavity and spinal canal inelasticity, brain cell edema caused by increased intracranial pressure symptoms, such as headache, aphasia, confusion, disorientation, drowsiness, agitation, delirium, or even coma, and the further development of the brain herniation, resulting in respiratory and cardiac arrest. In severe cases, there are congestive heart failure, shortness of breath (when pulmonary edema occurs), pleural effusion and so on.

2, chronic water intoxication.

Symptoms are generally not obvious, often masked by the symptoms of the primary disease, there may be weakness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, etc., weight gain, pale and moist skin.

Based on the history, clinical manifestations combined with the necessary laboratory tests, the diagnosis can generally be clear. Emphasis is placed on determining the etiology and degree of water intoxication, as well as the state of cardiac, pulmonary, and renal function. Attention should be paid to differentiating from sodium deficiency hyponatremia.

The body ingests too much water, such as primary polydipsia in chronic psychiatric patients. Certain medical factors such as excessive intravenous fluid infusion, oxytocin or posterior pituitary hormone application. At this time, the amount of extracellular fluid increased significantly, serum sodium concentration decreased, osmotic pressure also decreased, resulting in excessive water into the cell.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Water intoxication