Water Intoxication: A Possible Complication During Endurance Exercise

@inproceedings{Noakes2005WaterIA,
  title={Water Intoxication: A Possible Complication During Endurance Exercise},
  author={Timothy David Noakes and Neil John Goodwin and Brian L. Rayner and Trevor Branken and R. K. Taylor},
  booktitle={Medicine \& Science in Sports \& Exercise},
  year={2005}
}
Abstract NOAKES, TIMOTHY D., NEIL GOODWIN, BRIAN L. RAYNER, TREVOR BRANKEN, and ROBERT K.N. TAYLOR. Water intoxication: a possible complication during endurance exercise. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 17. No. 3, pp. 370–375, 1985. Four athletes developed water intoxication (hyponatremia) during endurance events lasting more than 7 hours. The etiology of the condition appears to be voluntary hyperhydration with hypotonic solutions combined with moderate sweat sodium chloride losses. The reason… 
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184 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
10
Background Citations
66
Methods Citations
1
Results Citations
11

184 Citations

The dipsomania of great distance: water intoxication in an Ironman triathlete

It is confirmed that symptomatic hyponatraemia is caused by considerable fluid overload independent of appreciable NaCl losses and that athletes be warned not to drink excessively large volumes of fluid (dipsomania) during very prolonged exercise.

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia During Winter Sports

Clear evidence indicates that EAH is a dilutional hyponatremia caused by excessive fluid consumption and the inappropriate release of arginine vasopressin.

The incidence of hyponatremia in prolonged exercise activity.

  • B. Toy
  • Medicine
    Journal of athletic training
  • 1992
To prevent hyponatremia, participants should acclimatize themselves to race conditions prior to the event and endurance athletes should be encouraged to ingest low sodium concentrate drinks during events lasting longer than 4 hours.

Hyponatremia in distance runners: fluid and sodium balance during exercise.

  • T. Noakes
  • Medicine
    Current sports medicine reports
  • 2002
It is established that the potentially fatal condition of symptomatic hyponatremia would be eliminated from sport immediately if all athletes were advised of the dangers of ingesting as much fluid as possible during any exercise that lasts more than 4 hours.

Encephalopathy due to severe hyponatremia in an ultramarathon runner.

A case of severe hyponatremia with life-threatening encephalopathy that developed in an ultramarathon runner after he dropped out of a race because of foot blisters is presented and it is postulate that much of the ingested water was absorbed only after he discontinued exertion.

Recurrent Hyponatremia in the Endurance Athlete: A Case Study

The current body of knowledge in these areas is presented to guide primary care providers in the treatment of athletes with emphasis on fluid restriction, necessary laboratory tests, monitored use of hypertonic intravenous solutions, and recommendations for training and race strategies for endllrance athletes who experience RAE.

Hyponatremia in Distance Athletes

  • T. Noakes
  • Medicine
    The Physician and sportsmedicine
  • 2000
The case report of Flinn and Sherer is so important for it records a potential tragedy that was prevented by expeditious and appropriate medical care that conflicted with popular dogma.

Exercise-associated hyponatremia.

The epidemiology, pathogenesis, and therapy of exercise-associated hyponatremia, a condition associated with sustained physical exertion during marathons, triathlons, and other endurance athletic events, are reviewed.

Exercise-associated hyponatremia.

Recommendations for Treatment of Hyponatraemia at Endurance Events

Care providers should consider the use of intravenous hydration with normal saline carefully since it is not needed by most collapsed athletes and may worsen the condition of patients with unsuspected hyponatraemia, and use of hypertonic saline should be reserved for patients with severe symptoms.
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