Did you know that between 50% and 60% of our bodies are made up of fluids? That means things like water and blood. Keeping this fluid level in balance is essential for our health. But if for some reason this balance is disrupted, especially if the amount of fluid in the body increases too much, it can lead to a number of serious health problems. Today we are talking about this condition of increased fluid in the body.
What is Fluid Overload (Hypervolemia)?
Simply put,
Fluid Overload is when you have too much fluid in your body. The medical term for this is
Hypervolemia . The meaning of this word is very simple. 'Hyper' means "too much", and 'vol' means "volume" or "volume". So Hypervolemia means an increase in the volume of fluid in the body. There is also the other side of this, which is called Hypovolemia. 'Hypo' means "low". It means a decrease in the level of fluid in the body, or a condition like dehydration. But today we are focusing on the condition of Hypervolemia, which is an increase in fluid. This condition can be caused by various reasons such as heart failure, kidney failure, liver disease (cirrhosis), and pregnancy.
What are the symptoms of fluid overload?
When fluid builds up in the body, various symptoms can occur. Sometimes these symptoms can be caused by an underlying medical condition that is causing the fluid overload. This can be caused by serious conditions, so if you have any of the following symptoms, you should
definitely see your doctor .
| Symptom | Simple explanation |
|---|
| Edema | You may experience swelling in your legs, ankles, hands, or face. If this swollen area remains pitted for a short time when you press it with your thumb, it is called pitting edema . |
| High Blood Pressure | The extra fluid in your body makes your heart work harder, which increases your blood pressure. |
| Difficulty breathing | If extra fluid builds up in the lungs, it can make it difficult to breathe. You may hear a "crackle" sound when you breathe. This is an emergency and you should seek medical attention immediately. |
| Chest pain | This could be a sign of a condition called Pulmonary Edema . This means the lungs fill with water. This is also an emergency, go to a hospital's Emergency Department (ETU) immediately. |
| Body discomfort | You may feel uncomfortable due to things like headaches, bloating, or stomach aches. |
| Weight gain | This is usually the first sign of fluid overload. Most people gain about 3-7 kilos before they notice swelling in their legs or stomach. |
Why is this happening? Who is at higher risk?
Fluid overload occurs when your kidneys start to retain sodium (salt) in your body. Normally, the kidneys control the balance of salt and fluid in our bodies. When a medical condition causes the kidneys to retain sodium, the body's sodium levels rise. In response, the body starts to produce too much fluid.
Simply put, when the body has too much salt , it retains water to dilute the salt. This is the main cause of swelling.
There are several reasons and risk groups that can cause this to happen:
- Heart Failure: When your heart muscle becomes weak, it can't pump blood properly. This means your kidneys don't get the blood they need. Your body tries to compensate by retaining salt and water. The result is fluid retention.
- Kidney Failure : The kidneys clean our blood and remove toxins . When the kidneys are not working properly, they cannot remove extra fluid and salt from the body and they accumulate in the body.This can also happen due to kidney conditions like Nephrotic Syndrome .
- Liver Conditions : Liver conditions such as cirrhosis can cause the liver to function poorly. This can cause fluid to build up in the abdomen (called ascites ), and swelling in the hands, feet, and face.
- Diabetes : Diabetes can damage the kidneys, which can also cause fluid to accumulate in the body.
- Eating too much salt: If you add a lot of salt to your food, especially if you eat a lot of processed foods, your body tends to retain water.
- Certain medications: Some medications for high blood pressure and pain can cause fluid retention in the body as a side effect.
- Pregnancy: Hormonal changes during pregnancy and the pressure on blood vessels by the growing uterus increase the tendency for fluid to accumulate in the body.
How is it treated?
When treating fluid overload, your doctor will first try to treat the underlying condition that caused it. Treatment options may vary depending on your condition.
Medical treatment
- Diuretics: These are also called 'water pills.' These medications help the body eliminate excess fluid through urine.
- Dialysis: This treatment is used for patients with kidney failure. A machine cleans the blood and removes excess fluid.
- Paracentesis: A procedure to remove fluid from the abdomen (ascites) using a small tube.
Lifestyle changes
Along with medical treatment, a few changes we can make in our lifestyle can go a long way in controlling this condition.
- Control salt: This is the most important thing. Reduce the amount of salt you add to your food. Especially processed foods like sauces, canned foods, sausages, cakes, and biscuits contain a lot of salt.
- Weigh yourself daily: Weigh yourself at the same time, wearing the same clothes. If you suddenly gain weight, it could be water retention. Inform your doctor about it.
- Limiting fluid intake: Some patients are advised by their doctor to limit the amount of fluid they can drink per day. Follow these instructions carefully.
- Take the prescribed medications exactly as prescribed: Take the medication prescribed by the doctor, at the correct time and in the correct dosage.
- Healthy lifestyle:Avoid smoking, control alcohol consumption, eat a healthy diet, and engage in appropriate exercise as directed by your doctor.
Complications if left untreated
Fluid overload can lead to serious complications if not treated properly.
- Pulmonary Edema: A life-threatening emergency that causes difficulty breathing.
- Heart Failure: Adding more strain to an already weak heart can worsen the condition.
- Delayed wound healing.
- Tissue breakdown.
Therefore, it is very important to seek medical advice as soon as symptoms are identified.
Take-Home Message
- Fluid overload (Hypervolemia) is an excessive increase in the amount of fluid in the body.
- Swelling of the legs, hands, and face, sudden weight gain, difficulty breathing, and high blood pressure are the main symptoms.
- Conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, and liver disease can be the main causes.
- If you have difficulty breathing or chest pain , consider it an emergency and seek medical attention immediately.
- Treatment includes 'water pills' (diuretics) and treatment of the underlying disease.
- Controlling salt in the diet and measuring weight daily are very important in managing this condition.
- If you have any concerns about this, definitely talk to your doctor .
Fluid Overload, Hypervolemia, Body Swelling, Edema, Kidney Disease, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Body Fluid, Pulmonary Edema, Diuretics, Dialysis, Salt Control
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