How Ulcerative Colitis Can Lead to Electrolyte Imbalances

电解质是在具有电荷的体液中发现的矿物质。他们进行各种身体功能，包括平衡体内的水量，将营养物质从细胞中移至细胞和废物，并调节神经，肌肉，心脏和脑功能。（是的，它们有点大！）钠，氯化物，钙，钾，磷酸盐和镁都是我们需要定期服用的电解质，即via食品和饮料，以正常运行。失去大量的液体或不消耗足够的电解质来开始可能导致失衡并造成严重破坏体内。

In people with UC, fluid loss and electrolyte imbalances are often a result of severe diarrhea, says Peter Higgins, M.D., professor of gastroenterology and internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It’s common to have very watery stool during a flare, and this fluid “tends to have a lot of sodium and potassium and a decent amount of magnesium,” Dr. Higgins says. That means you’re losing those electrolytes every time you go to the bathroom—and in severe cases of UC, that could be up to 20 to 30 times in a 24-hour period, he adds.

The symptoms of electrolyte imbalances aren’t very specific or unique—one of the main ones is increased lethargy, or just feeling a little bit fatigued, says Simon Hong, M.D., gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at the IBD Center at NYU Langone Health in New York, NY. Since UC itself can cause fatigue, it can be hard to suss out whether your tiredness is related to electrolyte loss or the overall impact of this inflammatory condition Other symptoms of an imbalance include headaches, dry mouth, and increased thirst, Dr. Higgins says.

当事情变得更加严重时，您可能会有心律不齐，心pal或Presyncope。” Hong博士说。Presyncope是感觉微弱的感觉。希金斯博士补充说，严重的电解质失衡也会引起肌肉抽搐和抽筋。黑尿也可能是一个迹象。他说：“在耀斑期间，您跟上液体的最佳标记是明显的尿液。”“最令人担忧的是，当尿液变得越来越黑，然后当您没有足够的尿液时。”如果您注意到这些症状中的任何一种，请开始补液（更多地了解如何，接下来出现）并立即寻求医疗救助。

好消息是，大多数电解质失衡可以通过补液在家中治疗。但这并不意味着只喝更多的H2O，您需要喝水来补充您已经丢失并且现在需要的电解质。实际上，用普通水补水实际上可以进一步dilute your electrolyte levels and make things even worse. Gatorade, Pedialyte, and even coconut water are all good options for rehydrating and replenishing electrolytes at home, Dr. Hong says. Finding what you like and don’t mind slugging back when needed is your best bet.

While you can use Pedialyte or Gatorade to replenish electrolytes, you can also whip up a homemade oral rehydration solution following this simple recipe from the World Health Organization: Mix 1 liter (or 5 cups) of water with 6 tsp. of sugar and ½ tsp. of salt. (Make sure your teaspoons are level.) It probably won’t taste great, but it gets the job done. Dr. Higgins recommends keeping some stashed in the fridge so that it’s ready to go when you feel a flare coming on. You can even add a little Crystal Light powder for flavor to make it more drinkable, he suggests.

Most times, mild to moderate dehydration can be treated at home. But sometimes, it can be really hard to replenish fluid and electrolytes quickly enough during a bad flare, Dr. Higgins says. If that’s the case, “one of the best things we can do is give them I.V. fluid,” he suggests. “Often, the first thing we do when someone comes into the hospital is give them 5 to 10 liters of I.V. fluid overnight, and that makes them feel a lot better, even though we haven't done anything to control inflammation yet,” he adds.

Dr. Higgins recommends getting ahead of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. “When you’re on the border of a flare, take something like Pedialyte, or make a homemade oral rehydration solution,” he advises. It’s really hard to keep up if you don’t start rehydrating until mid-flare—you’re already behind on electrolytes at that point. It’s best to start hydrating early so that your levels never fall too low. That means hydrate early and often, and if you start noticing decreased urine output, darker urine, extreme thirst, dry mouth, and find that you can’t take in fluids fast enough, call your doctor.

防止电解质失衡的最佳方法是将UC控制在控制状态，以使腹泻不是持续的问题，而耀斑则很少而且相距甚远。洪博士说：“通常，一旦我们治疗炎症，其他一切都会变得更好。”生物制剂可抑制胃肠道中的免疫系统和控制炎症，通常是控制UC和实现长期缓解的最佳选择，即A.K.A。，没有主动炎症的迹象，几乎没有症状，包括与脱水有关的症状，和电解质失衡。