Background: Hyponatremia and delirium are frequent problems in older hospitalized patients. Although confusional states are considered to be a possible complication of hyponatremia, there has been no systematic study to date of the precise prevalence of delirium among patients with hyponatremia and its effect on long-term outcomes.
Methods: In a 13-month period in 2009/2010, all patients with a serum sodium level less than or equal to 130 mmol/L (the hyponatremia group) in a cohort of hospitalized older patients were studied and compared to a normonatremic control group of patients who were matched for age, sex, and diagnosis group. The prevalence of delirium was determined by two-stage examination. Inhospital mortality, mortality six months after initial examination, and functional status were prospectively analyzed.
Results: 179 patients were identified whose serum sodium level was less than or equal to 130 mmol/L (7.9% of all treated patients), of whom 141 were included in the hyponatremia group. The mean age of the participants was 83 (range, 63-102), and 84% were women. Patients with hyponatremia suffered more often from delirium (22.7% versus 8.5%; p = 0.002) and had a higher inhospital mortality (10.6% versus 2.1%; p = 0.005). The mortality six months after initial examination was 31.9% versus 22.7% (p = 0.080). 59.7% of patients in the hyponatremia group and 49% in the control group (p = 0.146) needed a higher level of chronic care after discharge than they had needed before the hospitalization.
Conclusion: Hyponatremia in hospitalized older patients is associated with a higher likelihood of delirium and an elevated in-hospital mortality.