Merve Zeytinli Akşit1, Bahar Engin2, Banu İşbilen Başok1, Harun Akar2

1SBÜ Tepecik Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Tıbbi Biyokimya, İzmir, Türkiye
2SBÜ Tepecik Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, İç Hastalıkları Kliniği, İzmir, Türkiye

Keywords: Duration of hospitalization; hyponatremia; sodium; thiazide diuretics

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence, underlying etiology, symptoms and length of hospitalization of hyponatremia in inpatients of internal medicine clinic.

Patients and methods: In our study, the data of 87 hyponatremic patients (serum sodium <130 mEq/L) (28 males, 59 females; mean age 73.5±11.7 years; range 33-91 years) in our hospital's internal medicine clinic between 01.01.2016 and 01.05.2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were evaluated according to age, gender, symptoms, and length of hospitalization.

Results: The mean serum sodium level on admission was 118.5±5.6 mEq/L. The average duration of stay was 6.8±4.5 days. Medicines accounted for 27.5% cases of hyponatraemia, thiazide-like diuretics (91.6%) were top of the list. The most common symptoms were nausea-vomiting (29.8%), weakness (28.7%), dyspnea (13.7%), and confusion (4.5%).

Conclusion: In our study, it is seen that the vast majority of hyponatremia develops because of drugs. In case of drug use that may lead to hyponatremia, the risk of drug-induced hyponatremia can be reduced with careful monitoring of serum sodium levels and use of the lowest possible dosage.