Low sodium levels in elderly

• Low blood sodium is common in older adults, especially those who are hospitalized or living in long-term care facilities. Signs and symptoms of hyponatremia can include altered personality, lethargy and confusion. Severe hyponatremia can cause seizures, coma and even death.

One of the common risk factors for dangerously low sodium levels is old age. Low sodium levels are often seen among the elderly, especially within those who are living in long-term facilities or staying at the hospital for any health-related reason.

What causes low sodium levels in elderly?

Hyponatremia in elderly subjects is mainly caused by drugs (more frequently thiazides and antidepressants), the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIAD) or endocrinopathies; however, hyponatremia is multifactorial in a significant proportion of patients.

What causes sodium levels to drop?

A low sodium level has many causes , including consumption of too many fluids, kidney failure, heart failure, cirrhosis, and use of diuretics. Symptoms result from brain dysfunction.

How do you raise your sodium level?

Treatment for low blood sodium cutting back on fluid intake. adjusting the dosage of diuretics. taking medications for symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and seizures. treating underlying conditions. infusing an intravenous (IV) sodium solution.

How long does it take to recover from hyponatremia?

Although sodium may take longer to normalise within the brain and hence the neuropsychiatric symptoms take longer to resolve but serum levels should be corrected as advised earlier no faster than 10-12 mEq/L in 24 hrs. Levels lower than 105 mEq/L are prone to develop osmotic demyelination if corrected too rapidly.

How do you treat low sodium in elderly?

Hyponatremia treatments may include changing a medication that affects your sodium level, treating the underlying disease, changing the amount of water you drink or changing the amount of salt in your diet.

Will eating more salt help hyponatremia?

In elderly patients with a diet poor in protein and sodium , hyponatremia may be worsened by their low solute intake. The kidney’s need to excrete solutes aids in water excretion. An increase in dietary protein and salt can help improve water excretion.

What happens when your sodium is too low?

Hyponatremia occurs when sodium levels in the blood are too low . Symptoms include lethargy, confusion, and fatigue. It can result from underlying conditions, such as kidney failure, or other factors, such as drinking too much water or taking certain medications.

Which organ is most affected by hyponatremia?

Who is most at risk for hyponatremia? Anyone can develop hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is more likely in people living with certain diseases, like kidney failure, congestive heart failure , and diseases affecting the lungs, liver or brain . It often occurs with pain after surgery.

How do you fix low sodium?

Treatment Intravenous fluids. Your doctor may recommend IV sodium solution to slowly raise the sodium levels in your blood. Medications. You may take medications to manage the signs and symptoms of hyponatremia, such as headaches, nausea and seizures.

How do I test my sodium levels?

How is the sodium blood test done? This test is performed on a blood sample, obtained by venipuncture. A technician will insert a small needle into a vein on your arm or hand. This will be used to fill a test tube with blood.

Does coffee affect sodium levels?

Chronic caffeine intake increases urinary sodium excretion without affecting plasma sodium concentration .

How long is hospital stay for low sodium?

Patients with hyponatremia had a hospital stay of 7.6 days compared with 5.6 days for those with normonatremia, a significant difference between the groups. Hyponatremia at the time of hospital admission is associated with an increased risk of death and longer in-patient stays, according to a new study.

Why should hyponatremia be corrected slowly?

But hyponatremia among inpatients is usually subacute or chronic and should be corrected gradually to avoid causing osmotic demyelination syndrome, experts emphasized.

How much water should I drink for hyponatremia?

The authors of the study report that hyponatremia symptoms can develop if a person drinks 3–4 liters of water in a short period, though they do not give a specific time estimate. According to one case report, soldiers developed symptoms after consuming at least 2 quarts (1.9 liters) of water per hour. 6 дней назад