Frequency of dysnatremia in patients admitted with COVID-19 infection and its prognostic implication

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the frequency of dysnatremia among patients admitted with COVID-19 infection and its association with inpatient mortality. METHODS: This retrospective longitudinal study was conducted for 12 weeks. Serum sodium levels were recorded at admission, during the hospital stay, and within 48 hours of discharge or death. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of mortality. RESULTS: This study included 574 patients (69.7% men, age 55.6 ± 14.4 years). On admission, mean sodium was 135.9 ± 6.4 mEq/L; 39% had hyponatremia and 4.7% had hypernatremia. During admission, hypernatremia increased to 18.8%; maximum sodium in patients who survived was 140.6 ± 5.0 mEq/L versus 151.0 ± 9.9 mEq/L in those who died. The final sodium was 145.4 ± 9.4 mEq/L in patients who died versus 137.7 ± 3.7 mEq/L in those who survived (odds ratio [OR]: 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–1.32). Other predictors of mortality included ischemic heart disease (OR: 3.65, 95% CI: 1.39–9.61), acute kidney injury (OR: 6.07, 95% CI: 2.39–15.42), invasive ventilation (OR: 28.4, 95% CI: 11.14–72.40), and length of stay (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86–0.97). CONCLUSION: Hypernatremia was frequently observed in patients who were critically ill and died and may be considered a predictor of mortality in COVID-19 infection.