74-year-old US Man Hospitalised After Drinking 11 Litres Of Water During Heatwave

In a recent update, a person from America troubled by heat drank several litres of water after which he had to be admitted to the hospital.As we all know, water is an essential element for the body, but it is also true that too much of it is harmful for the body as it works as a poison inside the body.In many cases, water intoxication can cause cells to swell due to the low sodium concentration outside the cells. Swelling in the brain can lead to increased intracranial pressure, resulting in symptoms like headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, coma, and in extreme cases, death. According to a media report, a 74-year-old man working as a landscaper in Texas faced a severe health crisis due to the scorching heat, with temperatures rising around 40 degrees Celsius. This man experienced extreme discomfort when the temperature reached 37.7 degrees Celsius while working outside on a particular hot day. In order to overcome the situation, he drank around 11 litres of water within a span of five hours.

After a span of time, he began to experience uneasiness with the symptoms like nausea, fatigue, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. Fearing a heart attack, he rushed to the hospital. Doctors found out that this condition was caused by drinking excessive water. The doctors claimed that drinking too much water led to a drop in the sodium levels in his blood, which generated his symptoms.

The health experts also claimed that, due to extreme drinking of water, the salt and electrolytes in the body become diluted, and because of this it becomes difficult for the kidneys to remove this water from the body, because our kidneys can handle only a limited amount of water at a time which causes swelling, polyuria, hyponatremia and poor metabolism. It also increases the risk of heart attack.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an adult should drink 3 to 4 litres of water in a day. Men should drink about 3.7 litres of water, including fluids from all beverages and food. Women should drink 2.7 litres of water. It is good to listen to the body and drink water when a person is thirsty, keeping in mind that foods with high water content like fruits and vegetables contribute to the body’s overall water intake.