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Hearing the word electrolytes, most people or maybe you will immediately imagine an ad for an isotonic drink or a sports drink. Yes, this type of drink can indeed help replace electrolytes that are lost after you exercise or do activities. Not only that, isotonic drinks are also claimed to help overcome electrolyte disorders.
What are electrolyte disorders?
The fluid in our body consists of many substances, one of which is electrolytes. Electrolytes themselves are positively and negatively charged components that play an important role for the health of the body. Starting from improving nerve and muscle function, optimizing brain activity, and rebuilding damaged body tissue.
Compared to infants and children, adults and the elderly are more susceptible to electrolyte disturbances. So, what is electrolyte disturbance?
Electrolyte disorders are conditions when electrolytes in the body become unbalanced. This can happen because your body contains too many electrolytes or even lacks the electrolytes it needs.
There are many things that can cause electrolytes in your body to become unbalanced, including:
- Exercise is too hard
- Diarrhea or vomiting for a long time
- Poor diet
- Severe dehydration
- Diseases such as heart failure, diabetes, and some types of cancer
- Cancer treatment
- Take certain drugs, such as antibiotics and diuretic drugs
Signs and symptoms of electrolyte disturbances
The symptoms of electrolyte disturbances vary, depending on which type of electrolyte is out of balance in the body. If the levels of magnesium, sodium, potassium, or calcium in the body are not balanced, this can cause symptoms such as:
- Abnormal heart rate
- Limp body
- Bone abnormalities
- Unstable blood pressure
- Nervous system disorders
- Muscle spasms
- Body numb
Meanwhile, if the level of calcium in the blood is too much, for example because you are undergoing breast cancer or lung cancer treatment, then you will experience the following signs:
- Urinating frequently
- Irregular heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Nausea, vomiting and stomach pain
- Dry mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Constipation
- Coma
The electrolytes that are lost or excess in the body must be immediately rebalanced so that the body remains healthy. If excess electrolytes are allowed to continue, this can aggravate the kidneys to filter them and trigger kidney disease.
Likewise, if the body is constantly deficient in electrolytes, this can be fatal. Starting from causing seizures, coma, to cardiac arrest.
If you begin to experience one or more of the symptoms of electrolyte disturbances above, you should not delay to see a doctor.
