Frequency of hyponatremia in decompensated chronic liver disease patients.

Abstract

Objectives: To find the frequency of hyponatremia in decompensated chronic liver disease patients. Study Design: Descriptive, Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Medicine, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Period: October 2022 to March 2023. Material & Methods: A total of 118 patients of either gender aged 40-70 years having decompensated chronic liver disease were analyzed. Five ml blood was drawn under aseptic environment and was properly preserved, and sent to the hospital laboratory for analysis of sodium levels. Frequency of hyponatremia was determined and hyponatremia was labeled as serum sodium level < 130 mEq/liter. Results: In a total of 118 patients, the mean age was 53.69 ±7.11 years (ranging between 40-70 years) while 69 (58.5%) patients were aged between 41 to 55 years of age. There were 64 (54.2%) male and 54 (45.8%) female patients. The mean duration of chronic liver disease was 10.49±3.48 months whereas the mean BMI was 30.26±2.50 kg/m2. The mean serum bilirubin, serum globulin, serum albumin, mean albumin to globulin ratio, PT, child Pugh score and serum sodium levels were 5.43±2.41 mg/dl, 4.87±1.89 g/dl, 2.13±0.87 g/dl, 1.65±0.73, 11.33±3.41 seconds, 8.12 ± 2.68 and 118.67±9.87 mEq/liter respectively. The frequency of hyponatremia in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis was found in 39 (33.1%) patients. Conclusion: This study concluded that frequency of hyponatremia in decompensated chronic liver disease patients is quite high.