Having high levels of chloride in blood is referred to as hyperchloremia and it indicates that there is electrolyte imbalance in an individual’s body. When too much of chloride is in blood, it can create problems in body. Chloride is an electrolyte that helps in keeping the acid-base (pH) balance in an individual’s body. It also helps to regulate fluids and transmit nerve impulses. In normal situations, the amount of chloride in body would range from 98 to 107 milliequivalents per liter of blood (mEq/L). The kidney helps regulate chloride and other electrolyte levels in body, so if there is an imbalance in any electrolyte, it could indicate a problem with the organ. Other conditions in body may also result in an imbalance of the chloride electrolyte, for example severe dehydration and diabetes. These conditions affect the kidney’s ability to keep and maintain chloride balance.
Having high chloride levels or hyperchloremia is often discovered in a series of tests aimed at measuring electrolyte levels. A doctor may order the tests after an individual appears to have fluid or nutritional imbalances, is undergoing chemotherapy, or he or she has kidney problems.
High Chloride Levels in Blood – Causes
Different things can cause chloride levels to elevate, so if you have symptoms that signal hyperchloremia, you may want to confirm that through a chloride test. Like sodium and potassium or bicarbonate, electrolytes are regulated by an organ called the kidney. Kidneys are located below your rib cage and are found on both sides of the spine. The bean-shaped organs play a crucial role in the body. They help filter the blood and keep the components of the blood stable. This makes the body to keep on functioning properly. High levels of chloride can occur due to:
- Severe diarrhea
- Taking too much saline solution at time of surgery or during your stay in hospital
- Having acute or chronic kidney disease
- Ingesting too much of the dietary salt
- Ingesting too much of salt water
- Having bromide poisoning that may occur due to taking drugs that contain bromide
- Metabolic or renal acidosis, which occurs when a person’s kidneys don’t eliminate acid efficiently or when the body synthesizes a lot of acid. Loss of too much base in a person’s body produces what is known as metabolic acidosis.
- Having respiratory alkalosis whereby there is too low amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. For example when an individual hyperventilates
- Prolong use of drugs known as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. These drugs are used in the treatment of glaucoma and other illnesses.
- Dehydration due to vomiting or diarrhea
- High fever that makes a person to sweat profoundly and dehydrate
- Dehydration caused by intense exercise, medication, not taking enough fluids, and heat exposure
- Diabetes inspidus that makes the kidneys to release huge amounts of fluids
- Medications like corticosteroids, diuretics, and some hormones
- Starving yourself from severe malnourishment, eating disorders, or problems with nutrient absorption in body from the food eaten
- Addison’s disease whereby the adrenal glands are unable to produce sufficient hormones
- Diabetic coma
People undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer may vomit or become nauseated something that could lead to dehydration resulting in high chloride levels. Chemotherapy may also damage kidney thus impairing their ability to maintain electrolyte balance. If you are taking chemotherapy drugs, you might want to have regular electrolyte tests.
In infants, having elevated levels of chloride is normal, it happens in the first weeks following birth. The increase in chloride levels in infants may arise without any health issues.
Symptoms of High Chloride Levels
Electrolytes are minerals occurring in the body and they possess an electric charge. You find electrolytes in tissues, urine, blood, and other body fluids. Examples include sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and bicarbonate and they are important in the way the cells of the body function. Electrolytes help with water and fluid balance in body. They also help with movement of nutrients into cells and movement of wastes out of cells. Also electrolytes maintain a base-acid balance or pH level in the body. They help the heart, muscles, brain, nerves, and other tissues to work properly.
Chloride electrolyte helps maintain fluid balance in body. It helps produce digestive enzymes for metabolizing foods. When there are changes in levels of chloride, they can impair these functions. With moderately highly chloride in blood, there may be no noticeable symptoms, however, when the levels remain high for an extended period, it can bring about the hyperchloremia, which is characterized by the following:
- High blood pressure
- Fluid retention
- Irregular heart rate
- Muscle twitches, spasms, and weakness
- Numbness or tingling
- Confusion, personality changes, and difficulty concentrating
- Convulsions and seizures
The intensity of the symptoms may depend on the concentrations of chloride or how high the levels are and how long the hyperchloremia has prevailed. Individual factors like nutritional status, health, and use of certain medications may also determine the severity of symptoms.
Diagnosing High Chloride Levels: Chloride Test
As part of the normal health checkup or during time of testing for a particular condition, or when an individual is suspected to have hyperchloremia or electrolyte imbalance, a chloride test may be ordered by the doctor. A blood sample is taken from the arm and sometimes, a urine sample may be taken. Chloride tests measures the amount of chloride within a blood sample or a urine sample.
Chloride and electrolyte tests can also be done to help in the diagnosis of symptoms and signs such as having prolonged diarrhea, vomiting, difficult breathing, and weakness. In people who have too much base, taking urine chloride measurements may help a doctor to tell whether it is arising due to loss of salt. For example vomiting, dehydration, or diuretic use could result in low urine chloride.
High chloride levels or hyperchloremia is normally diagnosed using chloride blood test, but a chloride urine test may also be considered. These tests are part of a broad spectrum of metabolic panel tests that a doctor orders. A metabolic panel is used to measure various electrolytes in an individual’s blood for example, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, sodium, or bicarbonate. The normal ranges for chloride in blood among adults are 98–107 mEq/L.
So, if the tests show that you have higher amounts than 107 mEq/L, then it is considered a case of hyperchloremia, and it can signal many other problems or even health problems in body. A doctor may test you for blood sugar levels if he or she finds that you have hyperchloremia in order to see if you have diabetes. The doctor may also order a basic urinalysis to help detect if you have problems with the kidneys. A look at the pH can determine if kidneys are efficiently eliminating bases and acids.
High Levels of Chloride – Treatment
The treat of hyperchloremia, it usually depends on what’s causing the conditions.
- If dehydration is the culprit, then treatment involves hydration or taking in more fluids
- A person who has received too much saline would be able to recover if the supply is stopped
- Medications that are causing electrolyte imbalance may need to be altered or stopped by a doctor. You should not stop or change medications without talking to your physician.
- If the kidneys have problems causing high levels of chloride, then a nephrologist may help. Kidney treatments such as dialysis may be needed to help filter the blood rather than the kidneys doing it.
- A base known as sodium bicarbonate can help treat hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis.
The dietary recommendation for chloride according to the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board is that adults should have about 2.3g/day. Chloride is available in food we eat and you find that most Americans don’t probably need additional supplements of chloride because they consume more than is needed. Chloride is found in salt, vegetables, foods like butter, lettuce, olives, celery, tomatoes, and in salted meats. Drugs affecting sodium blood levels can also bring changes in chloride levels. Also, swallowing a huge chunk of baking soda or taking an antacid dosage more than recommended may cause blood chloride to go down (hypochloremia).
Other treatment options for hyperchloremia include:
- Receiving intravenous fluids
- Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and aspirin
- Eating a better and more balanced diet
- Taking medications that prevent diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea
- Gain control over your blood sugar levels or uncontrolled diabetes because they cause imbalances in body electrolytes.
Having too much chloride indicates that there is increased level of acid in blood. This can be dangerous because it could result in complications like heart problems, bone problems, muscle problems, kidney failure, kidney stones, coma, or even death.
