A person can take these actions to help prevent salt imbalance:
A person who has the flu and uncontrollable vomiting needs to be monitored carefully. He or she may need to be admitted to a hospital to get fluids to prevent dehydration and salt imbalance.
The long-term effects of salt imbalance depend on the underlying cause. If the imbalance is caught early and treated, there may be few long-term effects. Severe salt imbalance that is not treated can lead to extreme weakness, confusion, coma, or death.
A salt imbalance itself is not catching, although the underlying cause may be. For example, if a person has low sodium due to vomiting and diarrhea caused by the flu, the flu may be catching. If the sodium imbalance is due to a kidney disorder, this is not catching.