Study of clinical profile of hyponatremia in elderly patients admitted to medical wards at Mandya institute of medical sciences, Mandya

Abstract

Background: Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disturbance in geriatric age group owing to impaired ability to maintain water and electrolyte homeostasis and it contributes to substantial morbidity and mortality. The etiology is multifactorial. Hyponatremia may be euvolemic, hypovolemic or hypervolemic with euvolemic being the most common and most of the patients presents with nonspecific symptoms. As aggressive or inappropriate therapy of hyponatraemia can be more harmful than the condition itself, clinicians should be familiar with the diagnosis and management of various forms of hyponatraemia in order to deliver precise management. The aim is to assess the clinical profile of hyponatremia in medically ill patients, its etiology and associated morbidity and mortality. Methods: This study was a hospital based retrospective cross sectional observational study involving 150 patients aged ≥60 years presenting with signs and symptoms of hyponatremia confirmed by lab investigations (plasma sodium <135 meq/l) admitted to medical ward of tertiary care hospital of MIMS, Mandya from April 2019 to March 2020. Results: The most frequent symptom of presentation was nausea and vomiting (38.66%) and most of the patients had a euvolemic hydration status. Conclusions: The study thus focus the need for appropriate and timely diagnosis for reducing the associated morbidity and mortality associated with hyponatremia.