Hypernatremia
Type: Symptom
Definition
An abnormally high concentration of sodium in the blood.
Clinical Details
If the patient loses access to water or cannot drink enough to keep up with the urinary losses, they rapidly lose free water while retaining sodium. This causes the blood sodium concentration to spike dangerously high. Hypernatremia pulls water out of brain cells, leading to confusion, lethargy, seizures, or coma if uncorrected.