Hyderabad: Drinking too much water too quickly can be fatal at times, said doctors in Hyderabad, amid rising temperatures this summer. Though still a rare occurrence, they say that cases of water intoxicity, also known as hyponatremia, have been trickling into their clinics of late. Hyponatremia is a condition wherein the sodium level in the blood is critically low.
In a recent case, a 75-year-old man from Medchal was admitted to the ICU after suffering from water toxicity. “ He complained of lethargy and weakness. When the test reports came, everything was fine except for his sodium levels, which were very low due to excessive water consumption. Thereafter, he caught pneumonia, had fits, and was admitted to the ICU,” Dr Sree Bhushan Raju, head of the nephrology wing, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, told STOI. He added that cases of hyponatremia are common, particularly during summer.
Earlier this year, another 40-year-old woman from Kondapur was rushed to the emergency room after she drank four litres of water in the morning for detoxification. It resulted in a life-threatening complication, resulting in her admission to the ICU. “She was advised that drinking four litres of water in the morning would clear all the waste from her body, making her healthy and rejuvenating her skin. But within a few minutes, she developed a headache and nausea, suffered a seizure and loss of consciousness. Tests confirmed a low sodium level,” said Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior neurologist at Apollo Hospital.
While both patients survived after their episode of hyponatremia, a 35-year-old mother of two from the US died of water intoxicity in August 2023 after drinking two litres of water within 20 minutes, shared doctors while also citing the example of renowned martial artist Bruce Lee, who passed away due to a high amount of water in his system and kidney dysfunction in 1973.
“When large amounts of water enter our systems, it dilutes the blood and leads to a drop in sodium levels, an essential mineral. It subsequently leads to lethargy, headache, and brain swelling.People get influenced by several factors and increase their water intake massively, which leads to water intoxicity if an excess amount of water is consumed quickly. People should spread their water consumption throughout the day,” asserts Dr Kumar. Dr Raju emphasised that the judicious use of drinking water is necessary for the brain to function properly. “The brain is sensitive to water. If we drink less water (dehydration), it shrinks; if we drink more water, it swells. Hence, it is important to ensure balanced intake of water, especially for the elderly who are prone to kidney and other ailments,” he added.