The dangers of overhydration

Seventeen-year-old Zyrees Oliver, a football player at Douglas County High School outside Atlanta, fell into a coma last week hours after his practice and eventually was removed from life support days later. Doctors explained to his family Oliver’s death was the result of brain swelling caused by overhydration.

Overhydration, also known as water intoxication, is an excess of water in the body.

While all organs need water to function properly and athletes are advised to stay hydrated while working out, drinking too much water can be just as dangerous as drinking too little.

SEE ALSO: We take safe drinking water for granted: We shouldn’t.

“When you drink too much water, especially if it’s done rapidly, the water shifts into the cells, causing the cells to swell, and the cell dies. In this case, the brain, which is in a rigid box, the skull, it has nowhere to go. If it begins to swell, the brain rapidly dies,” Dr. Mark Flodin, a physician in Tampa, Florida, explained in an interview with WTSP.

How does overhydration occur?

While overhydration can be deadly, it is not considered a common condition, primarily because of the large amounts of water a healthy young adult would need to cause the condition.

According to the medical resource, Merck, “to exceed the body’s ability to excrete water, a young adult with normal kidney function would have to drink more than 6 gallons of water a day on a regular basis.”

Drinking too much water rapidly, however, even if the quantity is under 6 gallons, can overwhelm the body’s systems, leading to tissue swelling and dangerously low levels of sodium in the blood (hyponatremia). Overhydration can also be the secondary result of certain disease processes, such as:

• Liver disease (cirrhosis)
• Kidney problems
• Congestive heart failure
• Syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone (SIADH)

According to reports, family and friends noted that Oliver had 2 gallons of water and 2 gallons of Gatorade after football practice, though an autopsy is underway to see if the youth had any underlying conditions that contributed to his overhydration.

What can be done for someone who has overhydration?

The first step to preventing overhydration from becoming a serious medical issue is to recognize the signs. Anyone who has imbibed excessive amounts of fluids and then experiences nausea, headache, or changes in metal state should be immediately seen by medical professionals.

SEE ALSO: Your drinking water can make you sick and here’s why

Paramedics and other first responders will also:

• Limit fluid intake. Limiting fluid intake to less than a quart of fluids in one 24-hour period usually results in improvement over several days.
• If overhydration occurs because of heart, liver, or kidney disease, restrict the intake of sodium to prevent water retention.
• Administer a diuretic, a drug that increases sodium as well as water excretion (in the urine).