Man dies of a water overdose

Okay, this is a weird one but it’s true, and it’s actually very sad – so no Amy Winehouse jokes for once.

Andrew Thornton, 44, drank over 17 pints of cold water to relieve his painful gums, but instead overloaded his body and died.

An inquest heard that he had been drinking water at this rate for the previous two days as well.

Thornton was a fit and active guy who thought he was being sensible by refusing painkillers for his gum disease.

A divorcee, he lived with his mum and her partner in Bradford, where he collapsed last December.

Doctors at the hospital initially thought he was drunk because he was stumbling and slurring his words, but the symptoms were actually due to excessive fluid on the brain.

He was given salt to try and counteract the effects of the water overload but suffered a fatal heart attack the next day.

Pathologist Dr Alan Padwell told the Halifax inquest:

“He claimed drinking water relieved the problems with gum trouble, though he vomited a lot afterwards.

“He had been drinking an awful lot of water and vomiting. He had overloaded with water.

“Your body tells you how much you need. Eat and drink normally and your body will regulate itself.”

The coroner recorded death by misadventure. Too much water dilutes vital salt levels in the body, leading to cells and organs swelling. When the brain is under increased pressure, it can than start to shut down.

Andrew’s mum, who is now warning others of the dangers of over-consumption, said:

“He couldn’t walk straight and his right arm had gone limp and was hurting him.

“But we had a look at him and realised he hadn’t touched any alcohol – something was just terribly wrong.”

She went on:

“Andrew wasn’t a stupid man and if he had known how dangerous drinking that much was, he wouldn’t have done it.”

Andrew had gum disease for years but had not sought proper treatment, instead he used mouthwash or water to help the pain.

Source: Daily Mail