Disorders of Water Balance

Abstract

Guided by the hypothalamic antidiuretic hormone vasopressin, the kidney’s ability to conserve electrolyte–free water when it is needed and to excrete large volumes of water when there is too much of it normally prevents the serum sodium concentration from straying outside its normal range. The serum sodium concentration determines plasma tonicity and affects cell volume: a low concentration makes cells swell, and a high concentration makes them shrink. An extremely large water intake, impaired water excretion, or both can cause hyponatremia. A combination of too little water intake with too much salt, impaired water conservation, or excess extrarenal water losses will result in hypernatremia. Because sodium does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, an abnormal serum sodium concentration alters brain water content and composition and can cause serious neurologic complications. Because bone is a reservoir for much of the body’s sodium, prolonged hyponatremia can also result in severe osteoporosis and fractures. An understanding of the physiologic mechanisms that control water balance will help the clinician determine the cause of impaired water conservation or excretion; it will also guide appropriate therapy that can avoid the life-threatening consequences of hyponatremia and hypernatremia.