Friday, May 29, 2009
Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH)
Definition
Inappropriate secretion of ADH leading to water retention and hyponatraemia (normal 135 mmol/L)
Presentation
Plasma sodium <>
Plasma sodium <>
No oedema
Aetiology
Tumours – small cell lung carcinoma, prostate, thymus, pancreas, lymphomas
Pulmonary lesions – pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung abscess
CNS causes – meningitis, tumours, head injury, subdural haematoma, cerebral haematoma, SLE vasculitis
Metabolic causes – alcohol withdrawal, porphyria
Drugs – chlorpropamide, carbamazepine, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, phenothiazines
Diagnosis
Dilutional hyponatraemia due to excessive water retention
Low plasma osmolality with urine osmolality higher than that of plasma
Continued urinary sodium eexcretion > 30 mmol/L
No hypokalaemia (or hypotension)
Normal renal, adrenal and thyroid function
Treatment
Treat underlying cause where possible
Symptomatic relief:
1. Restrict fluid intake to 500-1000ml daily
2. Frequent measurement of plasma sodium and osmolality and bodyweight
3. If water restriction poorly tolerated or ineffective, demeclocycline may be given to inhibit action of ADH on kidney causing reversible nephrogenic diabetes insipidus
4. When syndrome very severe, rarely hypertonic saline (300 mmol/L slow i.v.) is given with furosemide – dangerous and used with extreme caution
Source: Kumar and Clark
Osmolarity vs Osmolality
Osmolality – measurement of number of osmoles of solute dissolved in each kilogram of water for a particular solution. A solution with 1 osmole of solute dissolved in 1kg of water has an osmolality of 1 osmole/kg (of water).
Osmolarity – measurement of number of osmoles of solute dissolved in each litre of a particular solution. A solution with 1 osmole of solute dissolved in water to make 1 litre of solution has an osmolarity of 1 osmole/L (of solution).
To determine osmotic pressure, osmolality is supposed to be used but for dilute solutions (e.g. body fluids) osmolarity can be used instead, as the difference is less than 1% and osmolarity is more readily measured.
Source: Guyton & Hall, Medical Physiology 11 ed.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
prognosis of hyponatremia
Prognosis of hyponatremia:
Hyponatremia is a manifestation of a variety of disorders. While hyponatremia can easily be corrected, the prognosis for the underlying condition that causes it varies.
The outcome depends on the condition that is causing the problem. In general, acute hyponatremia, which occurs in less than 48 hours, is more dangerous. When sodium levels fall slowly over a period of days or weeks (chronic hyponatremia), the brain cells have time to adjust and swelling is minimal.
However, a study showed that hyponatremic patients were more than seven times as likely to die in the hospital than the control patients, and they were more than twice as likely to die after discharge. Hyponatremia appears to be an indicator of increased risk of death regardless of the disease with which it is associated.
In another study, it was found that patients who were admitted with low sodium concentration upon admission have lower mortality compared to patients admitted with normal concentration and subsequently dropped to become hyponatremic. Among the most common single cause of hyponatremia is thiazide diuretics. Other common causes of hyponatremia were loop diuretics, congestive cardiac failure and liver disease.
Investigations
- Osmolality
Decreases in hyponatraemia due to 1) sodium loss; 2) increased fluid in the bloodstream
- Sodium< 135 mmol/L
Urine test
- Osmolality
12 -14 hr fluid restriction: >850 mOsm/kg;
Affected by increased or decreased urine output
- Sodium
May mirror serum sodium level or be the opposite depends on cause
Test result may be affected by food intake, medication e.g. diuretics, steroids, dehydration or overhydration.
Abnormal test results need further investigations to indentify cause of hyponatraemia:
If suspecting sodium loss with normal extracellular volume,
- SIADH
- Normal plasma osmolality in hyperlipidaemia / hyperproteinaemia (pseudohyponatraemia)
If suspecting an increased extracellular volume,
- Decreased urinary sodium in heart failure
- Decreased urinary sodium in liver failure
- Reduced GFR in renal diseases
- Hypoalbuminaemia?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Incidence
Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder, with a marked increase among hospitalized and nursing home patients. A 1985 prospective study of inpatients in a US acute care hospital found an overall incidence of approximately 1% and a prevalence of approximately 2.5%. On the surgical ward, approximately 4.4% of postoperative patients developed hyponatremia within 1 week of surgery. Hyponatremia has also been observed in approximately 30% of patients treated in the intensive care unit.
International
Though clearly not indicative of the overall prevalence internationally, hyponatremia has been observed in as high as 42.6% of patients in a large acute care hospital in Singapore and in 30% of patients hospitalized in an acute care setting in Rotterdam.
-Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder in clinical practice. It is estimated that the incidence of hyponatremia in hospitalized patients in the U.S. is greater than one million. Hyponatremia is recognized as an independent contributor to negative patient outcomes in many chronic diseases, most notably CHF, as well as cirrhosis and SIADH.
References
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/767624-overview
http://www.healthscout.com/ency/1/000394.html
http://au.biz.yahoo.com/070702/43/1arei.html
Electrolyte composition of intracellular and extracellular fluids, and why urine as well as serum testing is performed in a hospital setting
Plasma ISF ICF
Na+ 142 144 10
K+ 4 4 160
Ca2+ 2.5 2.5 1.5
Mg2+ 1.0 0.5 13
Cl- 102 114 2
HCO3- 26 30 8
PO42- 1.0 1.0 57
SO42- 0.5 0.5 10
Organic acid 3 4 3
Protein 16 0 55
In a 70kg male, the ICF is approximately 28L, or 35% of lean bodyweight
the ISF compirises of 12%of body weight, or 9.4L
the plasma is approximately 4.6L or 5% of total body weight.
The reason electrolyte testing of urine in addition to serum occurs in a hospital setting is to ascertain the endocrine and renal responses to the osmolar state of the patient ie. to see if the reason their sodium serum levels are low is because of renal failure, or because of excessive infusion of dextrose solution.
Complications
Mayoclinic
Medline
Definition of Hyponatraemia and Correction of Electrolyte Imbalances
• An abnormally low plasma sodium concentration.
• Normal = 135-145 mmol/L
• Hyponatraemia = < 135 mmol/L
• Depends on assessment of extracellular volume
CORRECTING ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCES
• Just as a note, everything I read seemed to be related to nurse care. This table seemed to sum up everything nicely, so I used it.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
whats my task this week
nathan
ndeng1@student.monash.edu
Monday, May 25, 2009
Management of hyponatraemia
1 rate of development
2 severity
3 underlying cause
In RAPID development (over hours to days)
There is high morbidity due to cerebral oedema…
SO we should correct the plasma Na rapidly!
Eg. Infusion of hypertonic (3%) NaCl solutions, espescially when patient is obtunded/convulsing
HOWEVER, rapid correction in SLOW development (weeks to months) can be hazardous to the brain (cerebral cells adapted to hypo-osmolality by reducing intracellular osmolality to maintain cell vol). sudden extracellular osmolality can lead to water shifting out of cerebral neurons, abruptly reducing their volume & risking detachment from their myelin sheath. Resulting ‘myelinolysis’ can produce permanent structural/functional damage – fatal!
In SLOW development
Rate of correction should be < 10mmol/day
For underlying cause
Control source of Na loss
Eg. IV saline if warranted
Dilutional hyponatraemia – fluid restriction 600-1000ml/day
Plus withdrawal of precipitating stimulus (eg. a drug causing SIADH)
Where inadequate rise in plasma Na results, treat with demeclocycline 600-900mg/day – enhance water excretion by interfering with collecting duct responsiveness to ADH
Persistent hyponatraemia due to prolonged SIADH – oral urea therapy 30-45g/day – provides solute load to promote water excretion.
Hypovolaemic patients – diuretics with strict fluid restriction (catiously!)
With significant hyperaldosteronism – K+ sparing diuretics
Aetiology
An abnormally low plasma sodium level is best considered in conjunction with the person's plasma osmolarity and extracellular fluid volume status.
It is worth considering separately, the hyponatremia that occurs in the setting of diuretic use. Patients taking diuretic medications such as furosemide , hydrochlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, etc., become volume depleted. That is to say that their diuretic medicine, by design, has caused their kidneys to produce more urine than they would otherwise make. This extra urine represents blood volume that is no longer there, that has been lost from the body. As a result, their blood volume is reduced. As mentioned above, lack of adequate blood volume is a potent stimulus for ADH secretion and thence water retention.
Reduced blood volume
In patients who are volume depleted, i.e., their blood volume is too low, ADH secretion is increased, since volume depletion is a potent stimulus for ADH secretion. As a result, the kidneys of such patients recover water and produce a fairly concentrated urine. Treatment is simple (if not without risk) — simply restore the patient's blood volume, thereby turning off the stimulus for ongoing ADH release and water retention.
Exercise-associated hyponatremia
Exercise associated hyponatremia (EAH) is predominantly the occurrence of dilutional hyponatremia during or up to 24 hours after prolonged physical activity, caused by an increase in total body water relative to the amount of total body exchangeable sodium. This means consumption of fluids in excess of total body fluid losses and/or impaired renal water clearance: maximal urinary excretory rate is about 1 L/h in normal adults under resting conditions.
Inappropriate secretion of the hormone ADH, is also a contributory factor to the development of EAH. This excess hormone secretion prevents the kidneys from excreting the excess water in the urine. The primary means of avoiding EAH is to avoid excess fluid retention (weight gain during or after exercise). This can be accomplished by drinking only according to thirst and monitoring body weight before and during exercise - it is best to lose around two percent of body weight and never gain weight during exercise.
Normal blood volume
Some patients with hyponatremia have normal blood volume. In those patients, the increased ADH activity and subsequent water retention may be due to "physiologic" causes of ADH release such as pain or nausea. Alternatively, they may have the Syndrome of Inappropriate ADH. SIADH represents the sustained, non-physiologic release of ADH and most often occurs as a side effect of certain medicines, lung problems such as pneumonia or abscess, brain disease, or certain cancers (most often small cell lung carcinoma).
Increased blood volume
A third group of patients with hyponatremia are often said to be "hypervolemic". They are identified by the presence of peripheral edema. In fact, the term "hypervolemic" is misleading since their blood volume is actually low. The edema underscores the fact that fluid has left the circulation, i.e., the edema represents fluid that has exited the circulation and settled in dependent areas. Since such patients do, in fact, have reduced blood volume, and since reduced blood volume is a potent stimulus for ADH release, it is easy to see why they have retained water and become hyponatremic. Treatment of these patients involves treating the underlying disease that caused the fluid to leak out of the circulation in the first place. In many cases, this is easier said than done when one recognizes that the responsible underlying conditions are diseases such as liver cirrhosis or heart failure — conditions that are notoriously difficult to manage, let alone cure.
Recent deaths from hyponatremia have been attributed to overintake of water while under the influence of MDMA. This may also be related to inappropriate release of ADH that is stimulated by the drug.
Hypoosmolar hyponatremia
When the plasma osmolarity is low, the extracellular fluid volume status may be in one of three states: low volume, normal volume, or high volume.
Most cases of hyponatremia are associated with reduced plasma osmolarity. In fact, the vast majority of adult cases are due to increased vasopressin, i.e., anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). Vasopressin is a hormone that causes retention of water; salt is also retained but to a lesser extent. Hence, the patient with hyponatremia can be viewed as the patient with increased ADH activity. It is the physician's task to identify the cause of the increased ADH activity in each case.