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The causes of lowering chlorine (hypochloremia)

Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 19.10.2021

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Hypochloremia (lowering of chlorine in the blood) can cause the following diseases and conditions.

Increased isolation of chlorine with sweat in hot climate, feverish conditions, accompanied by excessive sweating.
Increased secretion of chlorine with feces for diarrhea.
Repeated vomiting due to duodenal ulcer, high intestinal obstruction, stenosis of the pylorus. In these cases, both the decrease in the intake of chlorine in the body and its release with gastric juice in the emetic masses play a role.
Chronic and acute renal failure, as well as kidney disease with a marked nephrotic syndrome, due to a disruption in the ability of tubules to reabsorbtion of chlorine.
Croup pneumonia at the height of the disease and some other infectious diseases.
Uncontrolled diuretic therapy (combined with hyponatremia).
Hypokaliemic metabolic alkalosis.
States after various surgical operations, if they are accompanied by postoperative acidosis, in which the content of carbon dioxide in the plasma increases and chlorine passes into erythrocytes.
Diabetic acidosis, which is usually accompanied by the transition of chlorine from the blood to the tissues.
Kidney diabetes, due to the large loss of chlorine in the urine.
Diseases of the adrenal glands with a violation of the formation of mineralocorticoids.