Where there is sodium there may be sepsis

Area of Science:

• Internal Medicine
• Critical Care Medicine
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Hypernatremia affects up to 9% of critically ill patients, particularly the elderly.
• While often linked to fluid imbalance, hypernatremia may also relate to inflammatory conditions like sepsis.
• Sepsis patients with hypernatremia have higher mortality rates, yet the association is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of hypernatremia on hospital admission as a surrogate marker for sepsis.
• To explore the correlation between hypernatremia and sepsis in a community hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of medical records for 153 patients admitted with hypernatremia (serum sodium > 145 mEq/L).
• Data collected included patient demographics, presence of sepsis, and cognitive status (dementia).

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between hypernatremia on admission and the presence of sepsis.
• Sepsis was identified in 77.1% of hypernatremic patients, with 86.2% of these also having dementia.

Conclusions:

• Hypernatremia on admission may serve as a potential indicator for sepsis.
• Clinicians should consider investigating for infection in patients presenting with hypernatremia, especially the elderly and those with dementia.