Hyponatremia in cancer patients is associated with longer hospital stays and increased mortality, data show. The study analyzed 4,702 hospital admissions by 3,357 cancers patients.

Using first admission data, the mean length of stay of 5.6 days for patients with eunatremia (serum sodium levels of 135-147 mEq/L) compared with 9.9, 13, and 11.5 days for those with mild, moderate, and severe hyponatremia (134-130, 129-120, and less than 120 mEq/L, respectively).

Compared with patients who had eunatremia, those with mild, moderate, and severe hyponatremia had a 2.0, 4.7, and 3.5 times increased risk of death within 90 days, Simit M. Doshi, MD, MPH, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues reported in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (published online ahead of print).

Continue Reading

From the December 01, 2011 Issue of Renal and Urology News