Younger Man Dies of Water Intoxication
Well, this is really sad, and unfortunately it occurred out of consumption of a substance that we all think of as relatively harmless, and that we rely on every day. The only context I can think of this substance in as being something to be afraid of is if I were in it and there were mysterious creatures around me, as in the ocean or a lake. It’s water, and apparently if too much of it is imbibed it can cause a rare condition in the body which ultimately can lead to death called water intoxication. It’s rare, but it is also very real.
A 35 year old man just recenlty died of water intoxication in the UK. At first it was thought that the 35 year old male died of a heart attack or some other similar, relatively sudden catastrophe that might explain a death in such a young person, but upon investigation and an autopsy on the man’s body, it was found he died of water intoxication by drinking too much water.
This is actually something that usually can happen to athletes like marathon runners who might feel as though they need to quench their thirst by drinking way too much water, but it was not clear why this 35 year old man had drank so much water as to cause the deadly condition.
What it causes is a chain reaction in the organs because when too much water is taken in, it dilutes necessary minerals and when these levels get too low, such as sodium and other vital minerals, it causes the body to shut down, and sometimes the brain to swell, which ultimately leads to death.
One other such incident happened that was reported and given lots of attention to, and it was about a woman who was on a radio show where they were conducting a contest to see who could drink the most water. She complained of a headache and nausea if my recollection is correct, and was found dead a couple hours later in her home from excess water intake and the series of bodily events it caused.
It’s sad, but it seems that too much of anything can be extremely detrimental to our health, so we do have to watch ourselves, even with seemingly harmless water!
