Fluid imbalance

Causes of Fluid imbalance

Your body is constantly losing water through breathing, sweating, and urinating. If you do not take in enough fluids or water, you become dehydrated.

Your body may also have a hard time excreting (getting rid of) fluids. As a result, excess fluid builds up in the body. This is called fluid overload (volume overload). This can lead to edema (excess fluid in the skin).

Many medical problems can cause fluid imbalance:

It is common to retain large amounts of fluid for several days after surgery (causing swelling of the body).

In heart failure, fluid collects in the lungs, liver, blood vessels, and body tissues because the heart does a poor job of pumping it to the kidneys, where it can be eliminated.