Drinking Too Much Water Could Result in Brain Swelling

Drinking water in excess could do more harm than you think. Overhydration or excess fluid accumulation can lead to brain swelling, warn experts.

Too much of anything is good for nothing! During summers it is recommended to drink a lot of water to keep you hydrated. However, drinking too much water could do you more harm than good. Overhydration or excess fluid accumulation can lead to a serious drop in sodium levels in the blood resulting in brain swelling, according to a new study. //

Hyponatremia, a life-threatening condition of brain swelling, is more common in elderly patients and can cause cognitive problems and seizures.

Dehydration in Children | Pediatric Dehydration - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Dehydration in children can be life-threatening. Oral rehydration therapy and IV fluids should be administered depending on the severity of a condition.

‘Do you drink too much water? Experts warn that overhydration can lead to low sodium levels in the blood resulting in brain swelling,’

"(Hyponatremia) occurs in common pathological conditions, including brain injury, sepsis, cardiac failure and in the use of drugs, such as MDMA (ecstasy)," said Charles Bourque from the McGill University in Canada.

While it was yet uncertain how hyponatremia develops, the study found that a defect in the hydration sensing mechanism of the brain could be the culprit.

The researchers said that brain's hydration sensing neurons could not detect overhydration in the same way that they detect dehydration.

Five Symptoms and Signs of Dehydration you Should Not Ignore
Dehydration can impair various functions of the body. There are 5 major symptoms to identify dehydration and aptly treat it.

Overhydration activates Trpv4 -- a calcium channel that can be found in glial cells, that act to surround hydration sensing neurons.

It is cellular gatekeeper implicated in maintaining the balance of water in the body.

Intravenous Fluid Replacement Therapy - Types, Administration, Complications
Find the facts of intravenous fluid replacement therapy including uses in dehydration and other conditions, complications and other information.

"Our study shows that it is in fact glial cells that first detect the overhydrated state and then transfer this information to turn off the electrical activity of the [hydration sensing] neurons," Bourque explained.

"Our specific data will be important for people studying hydromineral and fluid electrolyte homeostasis, and clinicians who treat patients faced with hyponatremia," he noted.

Experts Say Coffee Causes Dehydration is a Myth
Coffee consumption can help with hydration, contributing to daily fluid intake, suggests expert.

The results, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed that overhydration is first identified by the Trpv4 channel which triggers the release of a type of amino acid known, taurine, which acts as a trip wire to inhibit hydration sensing neurons.

"Preclinical models of hyponatremia will be used to examine if the mechanism we report is affected in this condition with the long-term objective of designing new treatments or diagnostic tools," Bourque added.

Source-IANS