Definition

Noun: A medical condition characterized by an abnormally high concentration of sodium in the blood plasma.

Usage

"Hypernatremia" is a technical medical term used primarily in clinical and healthcare contexts. It describes a specific electrolyte imbalance. It is typically used as a countable noun (e.g., "a hypernatremia," "cases of hypernatremia").

Examples

• The patient was admitted with severe hypernatremia and dehydration.
• Hypernatremia is often caused by inadequate water intake or excessive fluid loss.
• The lab results confirmed the diagnosis of hypernatremia.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often discussed in relation to its cause, treatment, or associated symptoms (e.g., "hypernatremia due to diabetes insipidus," "correcting hypernatremia," "the neurological effects of acute hypernatremia").
• It can be modified by adjectives indicating severity (e.g., "mild," "severe," "acute," "chronic") or etiology (e.g., "hypervolemic hypernatremia").

Variants and Related Words

• Hypernatremic (adjective): Pertaining to or affected by hypernatremia.
  • The hypernatremic patient required careful fluid management.
• Hyponatremia (noun): The opposite condition—an abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood.

Synonyms

• High serum sodium (Note: In precise medical terminology, "hypernatremia" is the standard term, and synonyms are typically descriptive phrases.)

Antonyms

• Hyponatremia (noun): An abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood.

Noun

1. excessive amounts of sodium in the blood; possibly indicating diabetes insipidus