Solved by a verified expert:Every year or so, news surfaces of another tragic deathfrom an unusual condition: water intoxication. This does not mean the victim drank poisoned water. The culpritis typically normal, clean tap water. Most people find it shocking to learnthat drinking water can harm us. We are taught the importance of drinkingenough water, and are warned against the many dangers of dehydration. Whilethese are excellent lessons in normal situations, water intoxication shows theimportance of maintaining a proper balance of even the most seemingly healthychemicals we put into our bodies.Most of the time, our bodies can effectively balance our fluidintake with our fluid loss. People who die from water intoxication are almostalways involved in very unusual behaviors, like fraternity hazings or strangecontests. The affected individuals drink much more water than their bodies caneliminate through urine. This condition has the most serious impacts on thebrain and the heart. Brain cells become pressed against the inside of theskull. This leads to headaches, altered behavior, and eventually seizures anddeath. In addition, water intoxication causes changes in electrolyteconcentrations that impact cardiac muscle tissue. Therefore, the victim mighthave arrhythmias leading to heart failure. While extreme water consumption cancause these life-threatening problems, some doctors are concerned that evensmaller water “overdoses” are unhealthy and unnecessary. This has caused manydoctors to reconsider the “8 cups a day” rule for water consumption.QuestionsHow do you think water would move between the body’s fluid compartments during water intoxication?Why would brain cells become pressed against the skull?Describe how electrolyte imbalances during water intoxication could lead to heart failure.
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