Cerebral salt-wasting syndrome
Cerebral salt-wasting syndrome (CSWS) is a rare endocrine condition featuring a low blood sodium concentration and dehydration in response to trauma/injury or the presence of tumors in or surrounding the brain. This form of low blood sodium is due to excessive sodium excretion from the normally functioning kidney due to a disorder of the cerebrum of the brain. The condition was initially described in 1950. Half a century later aetiology and management of CSWS remains controversial. One problem being that there is no diagnostic test for CSWS.
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of CSWS include large amounts of urination (at least 3 liters of urine output over a 24-hour period for adults) due to inadequate sodium retention in the body, high amounts of sodium in the urine, low blood sodium concentration,excessive thirst, extreme salt cravings, dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, and dehydration. Patients often self-medicate by naturally gravitating toward a high-sodium diet and by dramatically increasing their water intake. Advanced symptoms include muscle cramps, lightheadedness, dizziness or vertigo, feelings of anxiety or panic (not mentally induced), increased heart rate or slowed heart rate, low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension sometimes resulting in fainting. Other symptoms frequently associated with dysautonomia include: headaches, pallor, malaise, facial flushing, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, acid reflux, visual disturbances, numbness, nerve pain, trouble breathing, chest pains, loss of consciousness and seizures.
