Low levels of chloride may indicate:
Heart failure
.
Lung diseases
.
Addison’s disease
, a condition in which your body’s adrenal glands don’t produce enough of certain types of hormones. It can cause a variety of symptoms, including weakness, dizziness, weight loss, and dehydration.
Why would your chloride be low?
Low chloride may also occur with
congestive heart failure
, diabetic ketoacidosis, aldosterone deficiency, prolonged vomiting or gastric suction, Addison disease, emphysema or other chronic lung diseases (causing respiratory acidosis), and with loss of acid from the body (called metabolic alkalosis).
What are symptoms of low chloride?
- fluid loss.
- dehydration.
- weakness or fatigue.
- difficulty breathing.
- diarrhea or vomiting, caused by fluid loss.
How do you increase chloride in your body?
Food Sources
Foods with higher amounts of chloride include
seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives
. Chloride, combined with potassium, is also found in many foods. Potassium chloride is a common salt substitute.
What happens if chloride is too low?
It works with other electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to help balance acids and bases in your body. It also helps move fluid in and out of your cells. So if your chloride levels drop,
you can become sick and dehydrated
.
What is a dangerously low chloride level?
Values
below 95-105 mEq in adults
and children are considered low (also known as hypochloremia). Potential causes include excessive chloride loss (such as from vomiting, watery diarrhea, laxative abuse), low-salt infusions, metabolic alkalosis, and many underlying electrolyte imbalances.
Why would my sodium and chloride levels be low?
Chronic, severe vomiting or diarrhea and other causes of dehydration. This causes your body to lose electrolytes, such as sodium, and also increases ADH levels.
Drinking too much water
. Drinking excessive amounts of water can cause low sodium by overwhelming the kidneys’ ability to excrete water.
What is a normal chloride level?
Normal Results
A typical normal range is
96 to 106 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L)
or 96 to 106 millimoles per liter (millimol/L). Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test results.
What blood test indicates dehydration?
Complete blood count (CBC)
– to evaluate blood cells and the balance between the solid and liquid portions of the blood; specifically, one component, the hematocrit, can be elevated with dehydration.
How do you fix chloride levels?
- taking medications to prevent nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
- changing drugs if they are a factor in the electrolyte imbalance.
- drinking 2–3 quarts of fluid every day.
- receiving intravenous fluids.
- eating a better, more balanced diet.
What does chloride do for the body?
Chloride is one of the most important electrolytes in the blood. It
helps keep the amount of fluid inside and outside of your cells in balance
. It also helps maintain proper blood volume, blood pressure, and pH of your body fluids.
What does a chloride level of 110 mean?
High chloride levels (>106-110 mEq/L) are known as
hyperchloremia
. Long-term or severe hyperchloremia can have the following symptoms from dehydration and metabolic acidosis (low blood pH) [1, 2]: Diarrhea.
What is a critical chloride level?
Normal levels of chloride for adults are in the
98–107 mEq/L range
. If your test shows a chloride level higher than 107 mEq/L, you have hyperchloremia.
Will eating more salt help hyponatremia?
In elderly patients with a diet poor in protein and sodium, hyponatremia may be worsened by their low solute intake. The kidney’s need to excrete solutes aids in water excretion. An increase in dietary protein and
salt can help improve water excretion
.
Can diuretics cause low chloride?
Continued use of diuretics, will cause some overall sodium and
chloride
loss.
Can stress cause low sodium levels?
The author explained that it is natural for the body to react to stress by
increase blood vessel constriction
for a short period of time, therefore raising sodium elimination.
