Chlorine was discovered in 1774 by pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who dropped a few drops of hydrochloric acid onto manganese dioxide in his small experimental laboratory at home. When Carl Wilhelm Scheele dripped hydrochloric acid, a gas that was a mixture of green and yellow suddenly appeared. Although Carl Wilhelm Scheele thought that this gas was an oxygen compound at first, when Sir Humphry Davy said that it was an element, chlorine, in 1810, the ideas changed and it was learned that there was an element called chlorine.
Its name is derived from the word “chloros”, meaning greenish, from the color of the gas. Chlorine has a poisonous odor that is two and a half times heavier than air, which is extremely offensive. It is an oxidizing, bleaching and disinfecting element in liquid and solid form. It is also an electrolyte found in our body, that is, in our blood. A number of symptoms occur depending on its lowness and height in the body.
What is the chlorine (CI) we see in blood tests, what does it do?
Chlorine, also known as chloride, is one of the most valuable electrolytes in our blood. It has duties such as regulating the amount of fluid in our body and maintaining the acid-base balance. People take chlorine into their body with the help of table salt, work with electrolytes such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate to balance and regulate the appropriate blood volume, pressure and pH in body fluids. Excess chlorine is excreted from the body through the intestines and kidneys.
What does low chlorine mean?
As we mentioned above, it is the kidneys that determine the level of chlorine in the blood. If your blood chlorine level is low (of course, if you consume enough salt), your kidneys are not performing this task successfully. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor and get the necessary help. Chlorine regulates the acid and base balance in the body, so when it is low, a disorder called “Hypochloremia” is seen. Hypochloremia is a type of electrolyte imbalance that says there is too little chlorine in the blood.
What are the causes of low chlorine?
- Congestive heart failure (the heart muscle weakens and cannot pump blood to the body as it should)
- Addison’s disease (inability of the adrenal glands to produce enough hormones)
- Metabolic alkalosis (a loss of acid from the body)
- Hyperaldosteronism (high blood pressure combined with fatigue)
- Emphysema (decreased breathing rate)
- Chronic lung diseases
Symptoms that indicate low chlorine:
- Loss of fluid by urinating frequently
- Weakening
- Tiredness
- difficulty breathing
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Dark urine, excessive thirst
- Headache and dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness
What does high chlorine mean?
Excess chlorine in the body comes from table salt. Chlorine is absorbed through the kidneys and intestines. Chlorine often works together with sodium. If you have chlorine in your body without sodium, we can say that your body has high levels of acids and bases. The high level of chlorine in the blood is called “Hyperchloremia”. If your chlorine level is higher than 105 mEq/L in your blood test, we recommend that you consult a doctor.
What are the causes of high chlorine levels?
- kidney diseases
- Metabolic acidosis (too much acid in the body)
- Cushing’s syndrome (high cortisol level)
- Respiratory alkalosis (high acid-base balance)
- dehydration
- consuming too much salt
- Losing water through diarrhea and excessive urination
- undergoing chemotherapy treatment
Symptoms that indicate high chlorine:
- weakness in the muscles
- Spasms and twitches
- Seizures and convulsions (neurological dysfunction)
- irregular heart rate
- Hypertension
- fluid build-up
- Confusion and personality changes
- Numbness and tingling
What should be the normal – ideal chlorine value in blood tests?
- The chlorine value for adult women should be 96 – 106 mEq/L.
- The chlorine value for adult men should be 98 – 107 mEq/L.
- The chlorine value for children should be 90 – 100 mEq/L.
- Chlorine value for babies should be 98 – 113 mEq/L.
- In pregnancy, the chlorine value should be 101 – 105 mEq/L in the first trimester, while the chlorine value should be 97 – 109 mEq/L in the second and third trimesters.
Since most or less of the chlorine is harmful, we should keep it at the ideal level, that is, normal, and monitor its height and lowness by giving blood tests frequently. The ideal, that is, normal, value of chlorine varies according to gender and maturity.
So how is low or high chlorine treated?
As a treatment for low chlorine, intravenous fluids such as saline solution can be given to increase the chlorine level. If it is due to Addison’s, drug treatment may be offered and even the patient may be asked to use drugs for life. If chlorine is high, it can be aimed to reduce the acid level by giving sodium bicarbonate if it is due to high acidity, if it is due to Cushing’s syndrome, hormone therapy can be recommended. Treatments can relieve symptoms and return most people to their healthy lives. However, as we mentioned before, you should get the most accurate information about treatment by consulting a doctor, specifically for you.
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