Summary
This retrospective chart review found that dysnatremia—particularly hypernatremia—occurred significantly more frequently in COVID-19 patients than in SARS-CoV-2-negative controls with respiratory illness. Hypernatremia was present in 38% of COVID-19 patients versus 8% of non-COVID controls, whilst 12% of COVID-19 patients experienced both hyponatremia and hypernatremia during admission. Over 71% of deceased COVID-19 patients developed dysnatremia compared to 57% of survivors, suggesting water and sodium balance disorders may be clinically important in COVID-19 management and prognosis.
UK applicability
These findings are directly applicable to UK clinical practice, as dysnatremia assessment and management protocols for COVID-19 patients would benefit from explicit attention to sodium balance monitoring. The association with mortality suggests UK hospital guidelines for COVID-19 care should incorporate routine plasma sodium measurement and electrolyte rebalancing protocols.
Key measures
Prevalence of hyponatremia, hypernatremia, and concurrent dysnatremia episodes; in-hospital mortality rates; χ² test for statistical significance
Outcomes reported
The study compared the occurrence of hyponatremia and hypernatremia between 193 SARS-CoV-2-positive and 138 SARS-CoV-2-negative hospitalised patients. Plasma sodium concentration abnormalities and their association with in-hospital mortality were measured.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.