Hypervolemia (Fluid Overload) Symptoms:
Symptoms of hypervolemia are not always obvious. They may occur suddenly or they may develop over time.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
Fatigue and fatigue related problems such as headache, weakness, loss of energy, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment and depression.
Headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Nausea and vomiting are the two main symptoms of hypervolemia. Nausea and vomiting are caused by increased blood flow to the stomach.
When there is too much blood flowing into your stomach, it causes a feeling of fullness which results in nausea. This symptom occurs when you have excessive fluid intake from food or drinks containing water such as coffee or tea. You will experience nausea and vomiting even if you do not eat or drink anything else.
The other symptom of hypervolemia is a decrease in the ability to concentrate. Concentration problems result from a drop in blood pressure and decreased oxygen levels in the brain resulting from fluid overload.
If you have been diagnosed with hypervolemia, you may notice that your concentration becomes difficult at times. Your attention span gets shorter and you become forgetful due to lack of focus.
Lungs and breathing problems due to fluid overload.
Dizziness, fatigue and shortness of breath occur when you have fluid in your lungs or blood vessels of the lungs. If fluid overload is severe enough, fluid can build up in your lungs and become very difficult to breathe at all.
Dark, tea colored urine as a result of increased levels of blood acidity.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a serious condition which occurs when stomach acid leaks from the stomach and back into the tube (esophagus). Stomach acid causes irritation in the esophagus.
GERD is more common in people with fluid overload.
Fluid overload is one of the major causes of chest pain. If you have fluid overload, you may feel pain or discomfort in your chest and have difficulty breathing.
Fluid overload causes swelling in the legs and ankles. The swelling is caused by a combination of factors including increased pressure on the circulatory system, fluid leakage from the blood vessels and poor blood flow back to the heart.
Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms of fluid overload.
The most dangerous thing about fluid overload is dehydration. This occurs when you have too much water in your body.
Since water and electrolytes are drawn out of your body into the bloodstream, blood becomes thicker and harder to circulate. The heart has to work harder to pump blood through your body. This can lead to heart failure and even death if untreated.
Fluid overload causes excessive swelling in the arms and legs. If you have fluid overload, you may experience swelling in your hands, feet and ankles due to excessive fluid buildup in your limbs.
Fluid overload causes swelling in the face, particularly around the eyes. If you have fluid overload, you may experience puffiness, dark circles and bags under your eyes.
Fluid overload causes your stomach to swell and protrude. As fluid builds up in your belly, your belly will become visibly bigger and rounder than it normally is.
The stomach may protrude out from the body.
Fluid overload causes dark yellow or brown urine and excessive thirst. If you have fluid overload, your urine will become very dark and may even be a brown color.
You will feel an extreme and constant need to urinate but only very small amounts of urine will come out.
This page contains information about the symptoms, causes and treatment of fluid overload. Fluid in this condition means an excess of water in the body (most commonly in the lungs or stomach).
Fluid overload is also known as pulmonary edema or cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE). The term fluid overload can also be used to describe the condition of having too much fluid in any part of the body.Fluid overload and pulmonary edema occur when the heart is unable to pump blood properly throughout the body. This results in a backup or pooling of blood (mostly water) in the blood vessels in the lungs. Fluid overload can also occur in the stomach due to a variety of factors.Fluid overload is a life-threatening condition which if left untreated, can be fatal. It is common in people who are elderly or have health conditions that weaken the heart and cause it to struggle. There are several potential causes of fluid overload including: heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, some medications, water retention and some diseases. If you or someone you know is suffering from fluid overload, it is important to seek medical attention right away. The earlier the condition is diagnosed and treated, the more likely you are to recover.Fluid overload is a condition in which a person has an excessive amount of water in their body. Fluid can build up primarily in the lungs, brain or abdomen.Fluid overload is most commonly caused by either heart failure or certain medications, such as diuretics.
Sources & references used in this article:
The renal factor in the post-traumatic” fluid overload” syndrome. by CE Lucas, AM Ledgerwood, MR Shier… – The Journal of …, 1977 – europepmc.org
Ultrafiltration in patients with hypervolemia and congestive heart failure by C Ronco, Z Ricci, A Brendolan, R Bellomo… – Blood purification, 2004 – karger.com
We should avoid the term “fluid overload” by JL Vincent, MR Pinsky – 2018 – ccforum.biomedcentral.com
Hypervolemia and sleep apnea in kidney disease by OD Lyons, TD Bradley, CT Chan – Seminars in Nephrology, 2015 – Elsevier
Chronic kidney disease, fluid overload and diuretics: a complicated triangle by YH Khan, A Sarriff, AS Adnan, AH Khan, TH Mallhi – PloS one, 2016 – journals.plos.org
Hypervolemia in peritoneal dialysis patients. by N Lameire, W Van Biesen – Journal of nephrology, 2004 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
