E87: Other disorders of fluid, electrolyte and acid-base balance

E87.1: Hypo-osmolality and hyponatraemia

Sodium helps regulate the moisture content in the body. Conversely, the water content in the body affects the sodium content in the blood. The sodium content is controlled by many processes. The sodium content in the blood must be in a specific range for the body to be able to function.

Your blood sodium levels were too low. If there is a lot of water in the blood for instance, the sodium content in the blood decreases. For example, that may occur if the kidneys no longer work properly and cannot excrete enough water. But you may also have too little sodium in your blood if you lose a lot of sodium. That can occur for instance due to vomiting or diarrhea.

If you have too little sodium in your blood, nausea and headaches may occur, for example. You may also be very sleepy. You may also lose consciousness or have seizures.