Hi Stephen: I don't have elegant references as you had but my
understanding of hyponatremia is that it comes from diuresis--
loss of fluid, in which the salts are "leeched", especially when
the diuresis is rapid. This is the case that is commonly seen in
older adults who take antihypertensives which basically act
as diuretics to reduce overall fluid levels and thereby, overall
fluid pressures in the system.
So, if alcohol is a diuretic then the hyponatremia, and perhaps
even hypokalemia, would make perfect sense to me :-)
In this case it is not hyper-hydration by hyper-uresis which is
at fault :-)
annette
with no references
On Fri, 9 Feb 2001, Stephen Black wrote:
> Another curiosity is that I'd have thought that the primary
> hydrational risk in alcohol intake would be dehydration, as
> alcohol inhibits anti-diuretic hormone. Not so, apparently
> (Hettema & Halma, 1999). It seems that excessive beer drinking
> ("beer potomania") can cause hyponatremia [literally low blood
> sodium, a sign of over-hydration].
>
> -Stephen
Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego Voice: (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
"Education is one of the few things a person
is willing to pay for and not get."
-- W. L. Bryan
