25/04/2007

Marathon runner 'died from drinking too much water'

The 22-year-old man who collapsed and died after completing the London Marathon at the weekend is believed to have died from drinking too much water.

The cause of fitness instructor David Rogers' death has not yet been confirmed, but it is thought that he was suffering from hyponatraemia - an overdilution of sodium in the blood plasma.

Body fluids contain electrolytes, including sodium compounds, in concentrations that must be held within very narrow limits, so if water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, body fluids are diluted and a potentially dangerous shift in electrolyte balance occurs.

In mild cases, this causes headache, nausea, vomiting and lethargy, but in severe cases it can lead to drowsiness, convulsions, coma and death.

Runners are particularly susceptible to the condition and are warned not to consume too much water, which would not contain sufficient sodium to replace what has been lost along with the fluids. Drinking isotonic sports drinks helps to prevent water intoxication.

David Rogers completed the marathon in under fours hours on Sunday, but collapsed upon finishing and was taken to Charing Cross Hospital where he died on Monday morning.

(KMcA/JM)


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