Did you know fatigue, headaches, and nausea can happen due to electrolyte imbalance? Electrolyte imbalance happens when specific minerals in your body get too much or too low. As electrolytes play an essential role in many body functions, you can experience many symptoms. However, it is treatable. Learn what causes electrolyte imbalances and its treatment options in this article. Doral Health and Wellness provides an in-center dialysis service, managed by our highly trained medical team. To know more about dialysis, you can consult with the best nephrologists and urologists of Doral Health and Wellness in East New York.

Causes

An electrolyte imbalance happens when a person becomes dehydrated or has too much water. Other most common causes of electrolyte imbalance are:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not eating enough
• Excessive sweating
• Certain medications such as laxatives and diuretics
• Eating disorders
• Liver or kidney problems
• Cancer treatment
• Congestive heart failure

Symptoms

Electrolyte imbalance symptoms affect your body in different ways based on factors such as how severe the issue is, which electrolyte levels get imbalanced, and whether a person has other health conditions. It can upset the normal functioning of the body, which leads to severe complications if not treated on time. For example, low sodium levels in the blood can cause hyponatremia. High sodium levels can result in hypernatremia, which causes symptoms like restlessness, insomnia, and shallow breathing.

Here are the common symptoms of the electrolyte include:

• Headaches
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Delirium
• Fatigue
• Muscle spasms
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat
• Alkalosis

If you ignore these symptoms, then you may develop severe symptoms of electrolyte imbalances like:

• Seizures
• Coma
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Myoglobinuria
• Metabolic acidosis

To self-assess yourself for an electrolyte imbalance, you can watch out for common signs especially in hot weather or after vomiting, diarrhea, or intense physical activity.

Symptoms can be different in children and older adults. Children are more prone to dehydration due to their smaller size and faster metabolism of fluids and electrolytes. If a child is very active and produces sweat or gets sick with severe vomiting or diarrhea, then they may develop an electrolyte imbalance that requires medical attention. Other risk factors may include high fever or taking medication that increases urination.

A child with an underlying health condition like a thyroid, heart, or kidney disease, is usually at higher risk of an electrolyte imbalance. Children with cancer who get a bone marrow transplant or take certain chemotherapy medication are more prone to electrolyte imbalances.

Here are the most common symptoms your child may experience due to electrolyte imbalances include:

• Dark urine
• Confusion
• Weakness
• Cramping
• Muscle spasms
• Dizziness
• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid heart rate

If your child displays any of these symptoms, especially if they have a fever or a health condition, then you should seek immediate medical attention.

Like children, older adults are more prone to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance than younger adults. There can be many reasons for this, such as:

• Kidneys start losing functionality with age.
• Older adults may need to take multiple medications such as diuretics which affect electrolyte levels.
• Older adults may not get enough to eat and drink due to a lack of appetite or thirst.

Caregivers should need to watch out for the signs of dehydration closely so that they can ensure that a person is eating and drinking enough. Here are the signs of dehydration you may notice in old adults which include:

• Dryness of the mouth including the lips and tongue
• Sunken eyes
• Skin that seems dry and less firm or stretchy
• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Low blood pressure

Diagnosis

To diagnose an electrolyte imbalance, the doctor examines your symptoms and may order a series of blood tests called a basic metabolic panel or a more complete set of tests called a comprehensive metabolic panel. These tests can tell you whether there is an imbalance in a specific electrolyte or not.

However, you can find the reason why you have an electrolyte imbalance with these blood tests. Sometimes the reasons may be obvious but sometimes you may need additional blood tests, medical imaging, or other diagnostic tests to find the cause of your electrolyte imbalance.

Electrolytes are often tested when a person has symptoms but hasn’t yet been diagnosed. For example, if a person experiences weakness, which is a potential symptom of certain electrolyte imbalances.

Sometimes, electrolyte test panels are ordered as part of monitoring for people who have certain medical conditions that affect electrolytes. Those illnesses may affect organs like:

• The kidneys
• The heart
• The endocrine system
• The gastrointestinal system
• The lungs

Your electrolytes get regularly tested if you take a medication that affects your electrolyte levels like diuretics. If you develop a serious electrolyte imbalance, your doctor may recommend other kinds of monitoring. For example, you may need an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check for heart rhythm problems.

Treatment

Your treatment usually focuses on restoring the balance of minerals in the body. It can vary based on the type of electrolyte imbalance you have and its underlying cause.

Some of the most common treatment options include:

• Intravenous (IV) fluids: Thesefluids are used to treat dehydration, which usually happens from vomiting or diarrhea.
• Certain medications: Medicationslike calcium gluconate, potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride to restore a specific electrolyte balance quickly.
• Oral medications and supplements: Theseare commonly recommended to a person who has ongoing kidney disease and is undergoing the hemodialysis procedure which uses a machine to remove waste from the blood. It is also used to treat an electrolyte disorder caused by kidney damage if other treatment options don’t

Electrolyte imbalances can happen due to many reasons and in most cases, it is easily treatable if you notice the symptoms earlier. Treatment can depend on the specific electrolyte imbalance and its underlying cause. Children and older adults are more prone to electrolyte imbalances which require immediate medical attention.

If you have experienced electrolyte imbalance, then come to our nephrology clinic in Brooklyn to get a professional diagnosis and treatment. Doral Health and Wellness provides an in-center dialysis managed by our highly trained medical team. We can work with you to create a dialysis regimen that will fit your medical needs and schedule.

If you have symptoms of kidney problems, talk to your doctor so you can devise a proper treatment plan for your condition. Never take any symptoms of kidney problems for granted. It is better to have it checked early on, before it progresses. At Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center, our team of urologists and nephrologists will work with you in managing your disease and your quality of life. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://doralhw.org/department/urology/.