Significance of Hyponatremia in Heart Failure

Authors

  • Christina Chrysohoou 1st Cardiology Clinic, University of Athens, Hippocratio Hospital, Greece
  • Dimitris Tousoulis 1st Cardiology Clinic, University of Athens, Hippocratio Hospital, Greece
  • Christodoulos Stefanadis 1st Cardiology Clinic, University of Athens, Hippocratio Hospital, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2015/hc.v7i2.447

Keywords:

hyponatremia, heart failure, arginine vasopressin, electrolyte abnormalities

Abstract

Hyponatremia is a common clinical condition among hospitalized heart failure patients, related with increased morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiological mechanisms that relate heart failure with hyponatremia are complex, involving beyond renal dysfunction, neurohormonal activation, as well as diuretic treatment.

The pituitary hormone vasopressin seems to play a central role leading to renal water retention and hyponatremia. Although therapeutic  strategies (water restriction, hormone inhibition) have shown to increase serum sodium concentration and improve symptoms, no beneficial effect has been detected on clinical outcome. This fact, urges the need for the conduction of further clinical trials, in order to determine the real causality between short- and long-term outcome and serum sodium concentration in heart failure patients .

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Published

2012-03-16

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2012)

Section

REVIEWS

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