Water balance is intimately connected to the maintenance of blood pressure in the circulatory system. Changes in total blood volume directly relate to changes in blood pressure: higher blood volume leads to higher blood pressure, while lower blood volume leads to lower blood pressure. Considering this, what effect could hyponatremia have on blood pressure

Answer and explanation:

Water volume and blood pressure are directly linked with one another, and the regulation of these parameters is fundamental to maintain homeostasis and make life possible.

Hyponatremia is a condition in which sodium levels in blood are below normal (normal being between 135-145 mEq/l). When sodium concentration decreases to this pathological point, the blood becomes "diluted" because of the lack of this vastly important ion. To compensate the dilusion produced in blood, water will start moving from this tissue to enter the cells -thanks to a phenomenom called 'osmosis'-, swelling the cells and developing into a life-threatening condition. As a result of the influx of water, the volume levels in the extracellular compartment (with includes blood) will decrease, leading to a blood pressure decrease as well.