Conditions Treated
Fluid Overload
What is hypervolemia?
Hypervolemia, also called fluid overload, is the condition of having too much water in your body. While the body normally has a certain amount of fluids in it, too much fluid can damage your health.
What are the signs and symptoms of hypervolemia?
The signs of hypervolemia include:
- swelling, also called edema, most often in the feet, ankles, wrists, and face
- discomfort in the body, causing cramping, headache, and stomach bloating
- high blood pressure caused by excess fluid in the bloodstream
- shortness of breath caused by extra fluid entering your lungs and reducing your ability to breathe normally
- heart problems, because excess fluid can speed up or slow your heart rate, harm your heart muscles, and increase the size of your heart
What causes hypervolemia?
Often, it’s problems with your kidneys that cause hypervolemia. This is because the kidneys normally balance the amount of salts and fluids in your body. When they retain salt, they increase the body’s total sodium content, which increases your fluid content.
The most common causes of hypervolemia include:
- heart failure, specifically of the right ventricle
- cirrhosis, often caused by excess alcohol consumption or hepatitis
- kidney failure, often caused by diabetes and other metabolic disorders
- nephrotic syndrome, a disorder that causes excess excretion of protein in the urine
- premenstrual edema, or swelling that occurs prior to a woman’s menstrual cycle
- pregnancy, which changes a woman’s hormonal balance and can result in fluid retention
