What are the causes and symptoms of mineral deficiency?
Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) and water deficiency are the most serious and widespread deficiencies in the world. These deficiencies tend to arise from excessive losses from the body, as during prolonged and severe diarrhea or vomiting. Diarrheal diseases are a major world health problem, and are responsible for about a quarter of the 10 million infant deaths that occur each year. Nearly all of these deaths occur in impoverished parts of Africa and Asia, where they result from contamination of the water supply by animal and human feces. The main concern in treating diarrheal diseases is dehydration, that is, the losses of sodium and water which deplete the fluids of the circulatory system (the heart, veins, arteries, and capillaries). Severe losses of the fluids of the circulatory system result in shock. Shock nearly always occurs when dehydration is severe enough to produce a 10% reduction in body weight. Shock, which is defined as inadequate supply of blood to the various tissues
