A man in Texas suffered heart attack-like symptoms after drinking too much water.
John Putnam, 74, was working as a landscaper in June when temperatures hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius).
By the time he finished mowing the lawn for the second time that day, Mr. Putnam was so thirsty that he had consumed nearly three gallons of water in five hours.
However, she began to feel nauseous and fatigued, which turned into chest pain and shortness of breath in the evening.
Mr Putnam was rushed to hospital for what he thought was a heart attack; in fact, he had suffered water intoxication, which develops as a result of having too much water in the body and not enough sodium.
John Putnam, 74, suffered water toxicity after drinking three gallons of water in five hours
Ashley Summers, 35, was a daycare worker and mother of two. She died shortly after the July 4 holiday last year from water toxicity, or hyponatremia.
“I didn’t even know such a phenomenon existed,” Putnam told the Wall Street Journal‘I was drinking water at a snail’s pace, thinking that was what I needed.’
The incident comes about a year after Ashley Summers, a 35-year-old mother from Indiana, died after drinking 64 ounces of water in just 20 minutes.
Researchers have also suspected that water toxicity, also known as hyponatremia or “water poisoning,” is on the rise due to increasing heat waves across the United States.
NIH research suggests the disease affects 3 to 6 million Americans each year, or at least one in every 100 people.
Hyponatremia occurs when drinking too much water in a short period of time overloads the body’s organs, specifically the kidneys.
Normally, the kidneys filter out excess water and waste and produce urine.
Dr. Thunder Jalili, professor of nutrition and integrative physiology at the University of Utah, told the Wall Street Journal that a person’s kidneys can normally filter one liter of water every hour.
“When you drink more than a liter of water per hour you run the risk of potentially diluting your electrolytes,” he said.
These include sodium, which is vital for regulating the amount of fluid in the body, but having too little of it causes water to build up around the body’s cells.
The cells swell, causing nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, muscle weakness, dizziness and restlessness. But in more severe cases, like Mr Putnam’s, it can cause symptoms similar to those of a heart attack, such as chest pain.
Hyponatremia may also be more common in older adults like Mr. Putnam. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is because older patients are more likely to take medications or have diseases that lower their sodium levels.
Ms. Summers loved being on the water. On the last day of her trip, she complained of feeling dehydrated, with a headache and dizziness.
Drinking two liters of water a day (eight cups) is vital to keeping the body hydrated. But consuming this amount too quickly can be deadly, experts warn. The CDC recommends drinking no more than 1.4 liters per hour, or about six cups.
In severe cases of hyponatremia, brain cells swell and create pressure inside the skull. Blood flow to the brain is reduced, leading to seizures, coma, and even death.
This was the case for Ashley Summers, a 35-year-old mother of two who drank the equivalent of four 500ml bottles of water in just 20 minutes. Her family said she felt dehydrated but couldn’t drink enough water to quench her thirst.
When he returned home after the long Fourth of July weekend, he collapsed in his garage from severe brain swelling.
Devon Miller, Ms. Summers’ brother, He told local media When she heard about her sister’s condition, she couldn’t believe it. “It was a huge shock for all of us,” she said. “I thought: Is this a thing?”
Treatment for hyponatrema depends on the severity of the condition. In mild cases, doctors may restrict fluid intake. However, more severe cases may require medications to control low sodium levels or to replace sodium intravenously.
According to the Mayo Clinic, women should drink about 11.5 cups of water a day (2.7 liters), while men should consume 15.5 cups (3.7 liters).
However, if you exercise in the heat, try to drink between four and eight ounces every 20 minutes, depending on the intensity of your workout.
