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THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM SODIUM LEVELS AT TIME OF ADMISSION AND MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN ACUTELY ADMITTED ELDERLY PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY
Author(s) -
Frenkel WijnandaNanne J.,
van den Born BertJan H.,
van Munster Barbara C.,
Korevaar Johanna C.,
Levi Marcel,
de Rooij Sophia E.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03104.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hyponatremia , prospective cohort study , cohort , antidiuretic , confidence interval , pediatrics , vasopressin
To the Editor: Throughout life, serum sodium level is maintained within narrow limits despite continuous variations in water and salt intake. Renal sodium transporters and osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus that control secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and regulate thirst are the main governors of sodium and water homeostasis. Disturbances in water and sodium homeostasis are frequently observed in elderly patients and, when severe, may lead to loss of consciousness, coma, or even death. Deviations in serum sodium have been associated with mortality and functional decline, but the association with functional decline has, to the knowledge of the authors, never been prospectively examined. The present study assessed the association between deviations in serum sodium levels at time of admission and 3-month mortality and functional decline in acutely admitted elderly patients.