Hyponatremia Prevalence in Decompensated Chronic Liver Disease: Insights from a Tertiary Care Hospital

Liver cirrhosis is a prominent global contributor to mortality, and hyponatremia is a common complication in patients with decompensated chronic liver disease (DCLD). Hyponatremia is characterized by kidney impairment when eliminating solute-free water. The presence of contradictory findings in existing literature prompted this study.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hyponatremia in patients with DCLDs presenting at a tertiary care hospital.

This six-month cross-sectional study was performed at the Allied Institute of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital in Gujranwala, Pakistan, from January 2022 to June 2022. A total of 133 patients were selected as subjects. Researchers took blood samples from these patients and sent the samples to the hospital pathology lab for evaluation of serum sodium levels. If sodium levels were ≤130 mmol/L, the patient was considered to have hyponatremia. All information was recorded on proforma.

The mean age of patients was 47.68 ± 12.89 years. Overall, 80 (60.15%) were male, and 53 (39.85%) female. The mean BMI of patients was 23.20 ± 3.11 kg/m² and the average duration of DCLD was 7.24 ± 4.12 years. Among participants, 48 (36.09%) patients had hyponatremia, whereas 85 (63.91%) did not have hyponatremia. The mean sodium level was 132.39 ± 11.37 mEq/L. Stratified analysis based on patient age revealed that among patients aged 21-45 years, 27 (45.8%) had hyponatremia, whereas, in the group aged 46-70 years, 21 (28.4%) had hyponatremia with a p-value < 0.05. Stratification of the basis of BMI, among underweight patients, all eight (100%) had hyponatremia, whereas of overweight patients, 14 (31.1%) had hyponatremia. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05).

The prevalence of hyponatremia was notably elevated among individuals suffering from DCLD. Age and BMI were the most common risk factors for hyponatremia among subjects with DCLD. This study recommends that patients with DCLD should have their serum sodium levels screened at regular intervals to prevent complications, including encephalopathy, which occurs particularly in younger and underweight DCLD patients.