MAHARASHTRA, INDIA — After working in a sugarcane field for an hour, Shakuntala Admane began to feel lightheaded, but she persisted for another four hours. Then, as the temperature soared above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), she collapsed.
Medical tests later confirmed that the 60-year-old agricultural worker had hyponatremia, a condition in which the sodium level in the blood falls too low. If left untreated, hyponatremia can lead to brain swelling, seizures, coma, muscle breakdown and even death.
