Dehydration from prolonged vomiting in hyperemesis gravidarum leads to which electrolyte abnormality?

Dehydration from prolonged vomiting in hyperemesis gravidarum leads to which electrolyte abnormality?

• A. Hypocalcemia
• B. Hypomagnesemia
• C. Hyponatremia
• D. Hypernatremia

Answer: (D)

When the body loses a lot of water through prolonged vomiting, the total body water falls faster than the sodium does. If fluid intake isn’t enough to replace those losses, the concentration of sodium in the blood rises, so the serum sodium level becomes high—hypernatremia. In hyperemesis gravidarum, this dehydration-driven shift is common because the patient is losing a lot of free water with the gastric fluid and may not adequately replace it. The other electrolyte disturbances listed aren’t the typical direct result of vomiting-driven dehydration: calcium and magnesium abnormalities aren’t the primary pattern here, and hyponatremia would occur if more water than sodium were lost or if there was excess water intake, which isn’t the usual course with persistent vomiting and insufficient fluids.

When the body loses a lot of water through prolonged vomiting, the total body water falls faster than the sodium does. If fluid intake isn’t enough to replace those losses, the concentration of sodium in the blood rises, so the serum sodium level becomes high—hypernatremia. In hyperemesis gravidarum, this dehydration-driven shift is common because the patient is losing a lot of free water with the gastric fluid and may not adequately replace it. The other electrolyte disturbances listed aren’t the typical direct result of vomiting-driven dehydration: calcium and magnesium abnormalities aren’t the primary pattern here, and hyponatremia would occur if more water than sodium were lost or if there was excess water intake, which isn’t the usual course with persistent vomiting and insufficient fluids.