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and sodium concentration. The BMP helps in the evaluation of acute renal disease (hyponatremia due to acute tubular necrosis, renal obstruction) and hyperosmolar pseudo‐hyponatremia due to hyperglycaemia. The serum osmolality confirms hypo‐osmolality (defined as <275 mOsm/kg) and excludes conditions of pseudo‐hyponatremia due to excess lipids (triglycerides) or hyperosmolar hyponatremia due to excess circulating osmoles from hyperglycemia or elevated proteins (macroglobulinemia). The urine osmolality is usually inappropriately elevated, i.e. >100 mOsmol/kg, and in many cases is greater than serum osmolality. The urine sodium is usually paradoxically elevated for the apparent serum sodium and is greater than 30 mEq/L, and in many cases is close to 100 mEq/kg. The cause of the paradoxical natriuresis is not completely determined and may be due to other factors such as elevations in cardiac‐derived atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) or cardiac‐ or brain‐derived brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or a direct renal compensatory effect to maintain constant intravascular volume despite hyponatremia.1,2

      Other causes of hyponatremia and, more specifically, SIADH syndrome include tumours (bronchogenic carcinoma, thymoma), central nervous system lesions (tumours, subarachnoid haemorrhage, neurosurgical procedures), cerebral salt wasting (a possible variant of SIADH syndrome due to acute central nervous system trauma or surgery associated with hyponatremia, hypotension, and urinary sodium loss), pulmonary disease (associated with increased intrathoracic pressure, COPD, and positive pressure ventilation), and HIV‐AIDS syndromes (which may be associated with relative adrenal or mineralocorticoid insufficiency).

      The decision to treat hyponatremia depends on the symptoms of neurocognitive dysfunction. Those with serum sodium between 130 and 135 mEq/L are usually asymptomatic. If chronic, the hyponatremia may have allowed time for the development of central nervous system compensation and may not require any therapy. Symptoms of gait disturbances and cognitive impairment found in patients with serum sodium between 125 mEq/L and 130 mEq/L have been shown to improve with correction of hyponatremia.29 Review and withholding of possible causative medications may be of benefit.24,26 Correction of hypothyroidism and hypoadrenalism is mandatory.

Schematic illustration of algorithm of workup and therapy for hyponatremia.

      Those with serum sodium <125 mEq/L or symptoms will need therapy. There are controversies regarding the various protocols for correcting hyponatremia.10 It is agreed that two major complications should be avoided: (i) cerebral oedema due to the delay in correcting hyponatremia and (ii) osmotic demyelination syndrome due to overly rapid correction of the hyponatremia. The former may occur during states of acute hyponatremia, i.e. in rare occurrences in women or children after general anaesthesia, athletes with exercise‐associated hyponatremia (overingestion of water relative to salt loss associated with sweating during prolonged running), or patients after neurological surgery or subarachnoid haemorrhage.8 In these situations, delayed correction of serum sodium of only 3–4 mEq/L over 24 hours has been associated with a deteriorating mental state due to cerebral oedema.8 However, osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) occurs due to overly rapid correction of serum sodium, which may occur at a change of greater than 8–12 mEq/L over 24 hours and more than 18 mEq/L over 48 hours.8

      Fluid restriction is indicated for symptomatic euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia and contraindicated in hypovolemic hyponatremia. In hypovolemic hyponatremia, for example, when the hypo‐osmolality is due to diuretic or gastrointestinal volume losses, the serum aldosterone and ADH levels are elevated due to physiological responses to the decreased EABV. Infusion of 0.9% saline or the addition of oral salt will correct the serum sodium since the elevated aldosterone will retain sodium, and the increased EABV will lower ADH levels. Infusion of 0.9% saline solution is usually ineffective for

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