Alcoholics get a moderate amount of their calories via beer consumption and do not experience this endogenous protein breakdown or its resultant low urea/solute level. With low solute intake, dramatically lower fluid intake (about 14 cans of beer) will overwhelm the kidneys’ ability to clear excess free water in the body. 2 Fortunately, most heavy beer drinkers continue to eat at least modestly, which is sufficient to avoid this rare type of hyponatremia. Chronic alcoholics who go on a drinking binge beyond their normal baseline alcohol consumption, or who develop a flulike illness that causes electrolyte depletion (via diarrhea or vomiting), are at higher risk for beer potomania.
Kristina Unterseher, MSN, FNP, CNN-NP
Peacehealth St. John
Medical Center
Longview, WA
REFERENCES
1. Hilden T, Swensen TL. Electrolyte disturbances in beer drinkers: a specific “hypo-osmolaity syndrome.” Lancet. 1975;2(7928):245-246.
2. Sanghvi SR, Kellerman PS, Nanovic L. Beer potomania: an unusual cause of hyponatremia at high risk of complications from rapid correction. Am J Kidney Dis . 2007;50(4):673-680.
3. Bhattarai N, Poonam K, Panda M. Beer potomania: a case report. BMJ Case Rep. 2010; 2010: bcr10.2009.2414.
4. Campbell M. Hyponatremia and central pontine myelinolysis as a result of beer potomania: a case report. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2010;12(4):PCC.09100936.
5. Thaler SM, Teitelbaum I, Beri T. “Beer potomania” in non-beer drinkers: effect of low dietary solute intake. Am J Kidney Dis. 1998;31(6):1028-1031.
