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QJM 2006 99(12):877-880; doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcl120
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Hyponatraemia as a risk factor for hospital mortality

K. Asadollahi1, N. Beeching1 and G. Gill1,2

From the 1Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and 2Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK

Address correspondence to Dr G. Gill, Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool L9 1AE. email: g.gill{at}liv.ac.uk


  Abstract

Hyponatraemia is a common abnormality in hospitalized patients, with about 15% having levels below the lower limit of the laboratory reference range. Accepted wisdom is that hyponatraemia is a marker of poor prognosis. However, a critical analysis of the literature reveals significant problems. Researchers have used various cut-off levels for plasma sodium, often concentrating on more severely hyponatraemic groups. Many studies were small, and most did not include control groups. Nevertheless, the literature available does suggest an excess mortality associated with hyponatraemia. Whether this is a direct adverse effect of low serum sodium levels, or if hyponatraemia is simply a marker for ‘sicker’ patients, is not known. It is also uncertain whether mortality is increased with more severe hyponatraemia, or whether active correction of hyponatraemia will improve outcome. These issues should be addressed by adequately-powered, prospective, suitably controlled studies.


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