Publication detail

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Marathon Runners

KLINGERT, M. NIKOLAIDIS, PT WEISS, K THUANY, M. CHLÍBKOVÁ, D. KNECHTLE, B

Original Title

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Marathon Runners

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) was first described as water intoxication by Noakes et al. in 1985 and has become an important topic linked to several pathological conditions. However, despite progressive research, neurological disorders and even deaths due to hyponatremic encephalopathy continue to occur. Therefore, and due to the growing popularity of exercise-associated hyponatremia, this topic is of great importance for marathon runners and all professionals involved in runners' training (e.g., coaches, medical staff, nutritionists, and trainers). The present narrative review sought to evaluate the prevalence of EAH among marathon runners and to identify associated etiological and risk factors. Furthermore, the aim was to derive preventive and therapeutic action plans for marathon runners based on current evidence. The search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar using a predefined search algorithm by aggregating multiple terms (marathon run; exercise; sport; EAH; electrolyte disorder; fluid balance; dehydration; sodium concentration; hyponatremia). By this criterion, 135 articles were considered for the present study. Our results revealed that a complex interaction of different factors could cause EAH, which can be differentiated into event-related (high temperatures) and person-related (female sex) risk factors. There is variation in the reported prevalence of EAH, and two major studies indicated an incidence ranging from 7 to 15% for symptomatic and asymptomatic EAH. Athletes and coaches must be aware of EAH and its related problems and take appropriate measures for both training and competition. Coaches need to educate their athletes about the early symptoms of EAH to intervene at the earliest possible stage. In addition, individual hydration strategies need to be developed for the daily training routine, ideally in regard to sweat rate and salt losses via sweat. Future studies need to investigate the correlation between the risk factors of EAH and specific subgroups of marathon runners.

Keywords

epidemiology; exercise; hyponatremia; marathon; review; risk factors; runners; sports medicine

Authors

KLINGERT, M.; NIKOLAIDIS, PT; WEISS, K; THUANY, M.; CHLÍBKOVÁ, D.; KNECHTLE, B

Released

16. 11. 2022

Publisher

MDPI

Location

Švýcarsko

ISBN

2077-0383

Periodical

Journal of Clinical Medicine

Year of study

11:6775

Number

22

State

Swiss Confederation

Pages from

1

Pages to

22

Pages count

22

URL

https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11226775

BibTex

@article{BUT180224,
  author="KLINGERT, M. and NIKOLAIDIS, PT and WEISS, K and THUANY, M. and CHLÍBKOVÁ, D. and KNECHTLE, B",
  title="Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Marathon Runners",
  journal="Journal of Clinical Medicine",
  year="2022",
  volume="11:6775",
  number="22",
  pages="22",
  doi="10.3390/jcm11226775",
  issn="2077-0383",
  url="https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11226775"
}