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Polydipsia and water intoxication in psychiatric patients: a review of the epidemiological literature.

Polydipsia among chronic psychiatric patients is poorly understood and underdiagnosed. It may have three stages: simple polydipsia, polydipsia with water intoxication, and physical complications. Epidemiological surveys have used staff reports and polyuria measures to identify polydipsic patients. Water intoxication has been screened by chart review, weight, or serum sodium data. According to these surveys, polydipsia, not explained by medically induced polyuria, may be present in more than 20% of chronic inpatients. Up to 5% of chronic inpatients had episodes of water intoxication although mild cases may have been missed. Single time point surveys show that 29% of polydipsic patients had presented water intoxication. Methodologically limited clinical studies suggest that polydipsia with water intoxication rather than simple polydipsia may be associated with poor prognosis in schizophrenia. Epidemiological surveys found polydipsia with water intoxication to be associated with chronicity, schizophrenia, smoking, some medications, male gender, and white race. New pathophysiological models need to elucidate these findings.

Chronic Disease↗

Sex-dependent changes in blood-brain barrier permeability and brain NA(+),K(+) ATPase activity in rats following acute water intoxication.

To understand the increased susceptibility of the development of serious complications to hypoosmotic hyponatremia in young females, we examined the resistance of blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability to water along with the synaptosomal Na(+),K(+)ATPase activity in both sexes of rats during acute water intoxication. Four groups of rats were used: Group I and II were normal female and male rats injected with only Evans-blue. Group III and IV were water intoxicated female and male rats respectively. BBB permeability in female rats was found to be increased following acute water intoxication. In contrast, synaptosomal Na(+),K(+)ATPase activities in both water intoxicated male and female rats were found significantly lower than those in control rats. But inhibition in enzyme activity in synaptosomes from water intoxicated female rats was more pronounced than those of corresponding male rats. Our results concluded that female sex steroids may be responsible for the highly significant decrease in synaptosomal Na(+),K(+)ATPase activity and increased BBB permeability in female rats following water intoxication.

Acute Disease↗

Patterns of urinary excretion among patients with self-induced water intoxication and psychosis.

Parameters of water metabolism were measured serially in nine patients with the syndrome of self-induced water intoxication and psychosis (SIWIP). Clinical and laboratory findings indicated that SIWIP patients are type A of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis. Estimated 24-hour urinary excretion of creatinine and early morning urinary creatinine concentration measurements were used to calculate 24-hour urine volumes. Polyuria was considered present for male patients when excretion was estimated to be greater than 2,600 ml of urine/24 hours or early morning urinary specific gravity was less than or equal to 1.003. Male patients with a specific gravity of less than or equal to 1.003 predictably excreted 28,000 ml of urine/day. Severe hyposthenuria may be a biological marker for a population at risk to develop complications of SIWIP, including seizures, coma, and death.

Adult↗

Acute water intoxication as a complication of urine drug testing in the workplace.

Urine drug testing is now mandatory in many industries. We report the first case, to our knowledge, of an adverse consequence of drug testing in the workplace: acute water intoxication. We discuss normal water metabolism and the adverse effects of water loading and impaired renal function on free water clearance. We present a literature review of seven other cases of acute voluntary water intoxication in patients without chronic psychiatric or neurologic illness. For workers undergoing urine drug testing we conclude that risk factors for acute water intoxication include (1) intake of more than 1 L of water and (2) impaired urine dilution. In a recently drug-tested worker, symptoms of cerebral dysfunction should suggest the possibility of water intoxication.

Acute Disease↗

Water intoxication: one nursing staff's response and intervention.

Water intoxication is a significant problem for psychiatric nurses, especially those in long-term care settings. Water intoxication can cause psychological and physiological symptoms which can lead to death. The programme described in the paper can significantly modify and change patient behaviour and assist patients in controlling their own impulses to participate in self-limiting fluid and their own self-care satisfactorily.

Adolescent↗

Oral sodium chloride in the management of schizophrenic patients with self-induced water intoxication.

Hyponatremia is always present in patients with water intoxication and accounts for many of the life-threatening symptoms and signs found in this population. In schizophrenic patients, water restriction, a cornerstone in the treatment of water intoxication, may be impossible to implement over the course of long-term management. The use of oral sodium chloride administration in such patients and its short-term efficacy in preventing major motor seizures are described.

Administration, Oral↗

Water intoxication associated with oxytocin administration during saline-induced abortion.

Four cases of water intoxication in connection with oxytocin administration during saline-induced abortions are described. The mechanism of water intoxication is discussed in regard to these cases. Oxytocin administration during midtrimester-induced abortions is advocated only if it can be carried out under careful observations of an alert nursing staff, aware of the symptoms of water intoxication and instructed to watch the diuresis and report such early signs of the syndrome as asthenia, muscular irritability, or headaches. The oxytocin should be given only in Ringers lactate or, alternately, in Ringers lactate and a 5 per cent dextrose and water solutions. The urinary output should be monitored and the oxytocin administration discontinued and the serum electrolytes checked if the urinary output decreases. The oxytocin should not be administered in excess of 36 hours. If the patient has not aborted by then the oxytocin should be discontinued for 10 to 12 hours in order to perform electrolyte determinations and correct any electrolyte imbalance.

Abortion, Induced↗

Seizures and hypothermia due to dietary water intoxication in infants.

I retrospectively describe 20 episodes of water intoxication in 19 infants, with hypothermia, seizures, and hyponatremia. Overdilution of formula or aggressive supplementation with water or clear juices were documented in 16 of the 20 episodes. Seizures and respiratory distress were severe enough in six cases to require intubation and ventilatory support. Marked diaphoresis was noted as a premonitory symptom to seizures in eight children. The children were an average of 5.1 +/- 4.3 months of age; serum sodium values averaged 118 +/- 4.3 mmol/L. No evidence of excess production of antidiuretic hormone was found. Water intoxication in infants is common, and I discuss its possible relationship to demyelinating disease of the central nervous system.

Diet↗

Antecedents of self-induced water intoxication. A preliminary report.

Although more and more case reports of self-induced water intoxication are published each year, we do not know yet what induces certain psychiatric patients to drink water in excess, and why only some of them develop water intoxication. This report, based on 13 patients who had 21 episodes of self-induced water intoxication, is an attempt to explore the characteristics of the patient population at risk for this malady. The role of psychosis, psychotropic drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, and the possible predilection of Caucasians, should be tested in a larger patient population before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

Adult↗

Self-induced water intoxication in schizophrenic patients.

The authors report on 21 cases of self-induced water intoxication and cite 25 others in the literature. Three of their patients demonstrated at least temporary inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, 3 were receiving a diuretic, and the other 15 appeared to have "pure" water intoxication. Fifteen patients were receiving a psychotropic medication. Self-induced water intoxication appears to be more common in schizophrenic patients than is generally realized and should be suspected in any schizophrenic patient who develops convulsions or coma. Hyperdopaminergic CNS activity may be involved, and the authors suggest a possible mechanism similar to that for tardive dyskinesia.

Adult↗

Water intoxication by the oral route in an infant.

Symptomatic water intoxication is common when hypo-osmolar fluids are given therapeutically, usually intravenously, but it is rare after drinking voluntarily (Wynn and Rob, 1954). We report a case of water intoxication caused by voluntary drinking in an infant.

Drinking↗

[Water intoxication with hyponatremia and cramps in the newborn period].

Acute water intoxication with hyponatraemic convulsions has been described several times in children less than two years old. We describe a two-day-old boy who developed hyponatraemia with convulsions because of water intoxication during his stay in the maternity ward. It was a hot day, and the baby was observed to sweat abundantly. The mother therefore breast fed him at frequent intervals and in addition offered him plain water, which he drank eagerly, approximately 350 ml in the course of a few hours. He then developed convulsions with bilateral clonic flexion movements of the arms, and serum sodium concentration was 113 mmol/l (114 on repeat). He was treated with diazepam and phenobarbitone and 20 mmol NaCl as slow infusion, and serum Na was 135 mmol/l after 20 hours. During treatment he passed large amounts of dilute urine and lost 110 g of weight. No abnormal loss of salt was found, and follow-up for six months has been uneventful. Neonates are at risk of developing hyponatraemia and convulsions when offered large amounts of electrolyte poor solutions, especially during hot weather.

Humans↗

Crisis management during anaesthesia: water intoxication.

BACKGROUND: Irrigation of closed body spaces may lead to substantial perioperative fluid and electrolyte shifts. A syndrome occurring during transurethral resection of prostate (TURP), and a similar syndrome described in women undergoing transcervical endometrial ablation (TCEA) are both characterised by a spectrum of symptoms which may range from asymptomatic hyponatraemia to convulsions, coma, and death. Such potentially serious consequences require prompt recognition and appropriate management of this "water intoxication" syndrome. OBJECTIVES: To examine the role of a previously described core algorithm "COVER ABCD-A SWIFT CHECK", supplemented by a specific sub-algorithm for water intoxication, in the management of this syndrome occurring in association with anaesthesia. METHODS: The potential performance of this structured approach for each of the relevant incidents among the first 4000 reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring Study (AIMS) was compared with the actual management as reported by the anaesthetists involved. RESULTS: From the first 4000 incidents reported to AIMS, 10 reports of water intoxication were identified, two from endometrial ablations under general anaesthesia and eight from male urological procedures under spinal anaesthesia. The "core" crisis management algorithm detected a problem in seven cases; however, it was deficient in dealing with neurological presentations. Diagnosis of the cause of the incident would have required a specific water intoxication sub-algorithm in eight cases and a hypotension algorithm in a further two cases. Corrective strategies also required a specific sub-algorithm in eight cases, while the hypotension and cardiac arrest sub-algorithms were required in conjunction with the water intoxication sub-algorithm in the remaining two. CONCLUSION: This relatively uncommon problem is managed poorly using the "core" crisis management sub-algorithm and requires a simple specific sub-algorithm for water intoxication.

Algorithms↗

Fatal water intoxication in a schizophrenic patient--an autopsy case.

We report a case of fatal water intoxication due to polydipsia. A 69-year-old schizophrenic male was found dead at his room of the hospital in which he had been admitted. Medico-legal autopsy was carried out to determine the cause of his death. The autopsy revealed no severe trauma leading him to the death. Internally, it was noticed that the stomach was vigorously expanded, including fluid contents. Intracardiac blood, being dark-red in color, seemed to be diluted. The both lungs ballooned aqueously, showing apparently edema. However, there was neither macroscopic nor histopathological lesion, being responsible for his death. Postmortem biochemical analyses revealed severe hyponatremia of 92 mEq/ml. In cases with short postmortem interval, serum sodium level almost similarly reflected antemortem level. According to his psychiatric doctor, he had been diagnosed as water intoxication due to polydipsia. Moreover, at 2 h before the discovery of his body, he had been found to drink much running water. It was concluded the cause of his death as fatal water intoxication.

Aged↗

A program for water-intoxicated patients at a state hospital.

During normal circumstances, individuals have a delicate balance of water requirement and water intake. If the balance of water is altered, electrolyte imbalance can occur. If fluid intake continues uncurbed, an extreme condition may result known as self-induced water intoxication and psychoses. If untreated, complications may develop, including dilated and hypotonic bowel and bladder, hydronephrosis, renal failure, congestive heart failure, mild confusion, acute delirium, seizures, coma, and death. The ongoing problem of water intoxication presents a modern day nursing challenge to psychiatric nurses. The present study monitors nine chronically ill patients in a special program for water intoxication involving control and monitoring and a psychoeducational group approach in a closed unit of a state hospital. At the end of 3 months serum electrolytes, serum osmolality, and urine specific gravity were within normal limits since the start of the program. Anxiety, as evidenced by restlessness, pacing, increased talking, demanding behavior, hyperactivity, yelling, and irritability, had lessened. This improvement was accompanied by a stabilization of psychotic behavior. The use of restraints dropped from 1303 hr in the 3 months before the program to 20 hr and 55 min for the nine patients in the first 3 months of the program. Progress in relation to the study hypothesis will be evaluated every 3 months.

Adult↗

Perinatal water intoxication due to excessive oral intake during labour.

UNLABELLED: The increased body water in pregnant women and the birth-related activation of water-sparing systems contribute to a high risk of perinatal water intoxication if the mother drinks too much water during labour. This study reports on four newborn term infants and one mother presenting with life-threatening symptoms due to hyponatraemia from excessive oral intake during labour. Awareness of this diagnosis in the delivery unit is very important, because the clinical picture may mimic that of pre-eclampsia or dehydration. CONCLUSION: Guidelines are proposed to prevent and treat perinatal water intoxication due to excessive oral intake during labour.

Adult↗

Polydipsia and water intoxication in 353 psychiatric inpatients: an epidemiological and psychopathological study.

INTRODUCTION: According to several authors, water intoxication can lead to irreversible brain damage and could be the cause of nearly a fifth of the deaths of schizophrenic patients below the age of 53 years. The aim of our study was first to determine the prevalence of polydipsia and water intoxication in a population of psychiatric inpatients of a well-defined French geographic area (the Somme), and secondly to determine the clinical and socio-demographic factors associated with this disorder. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was done on the 450 psychiatric beds whose catchment area had a total population of 559,429 inhabitants. Using staff reports and patients' charts, the drinking habits of 353 psychiatric inpatients hospitalised during the survey in the 450 psychiatric beds of this area were examined. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients (10.76%; 95% confidence interval: 7.53-13.99%) among the 353 inpatients were polydipsic. About one-third of these patients were at risk of water intoxication. Polydipsia appeared to be significantly associated with male gender, smoking, celibacy and chronicity. The polydipsic patients presented also a high prevalence of schizophrenia, mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorders and high frequency of somatic disorders.

Adolescent↗