Mild hyponatremia is associated with impaired cognition and increased falls in community-dwelling older persons Roshan Gunathilake , Christopher Oldmeadow, Mark McEvoy, Brian Kelly, Kerry Inder, Peter Schofield, and John Attia Department of General Medicine & Hunter Medical Research Institute, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health & Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia J Am Geriatr Soc 2013 Oct; 61(10): 1838–1
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Mild hyponatremia, attention deficits and falls in elderly
Mild Hyponatremia is associated with impaired cognition and increased falls in community-dwelling older persons J Am Geriatr Soc 2013 Oct; 61(10): 1838–1839
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Mild hyponatremia is associated with impaired cognition and increased falls in community-dwelling older persons
Roshan Gunathilake, Christopher Oldmeadow, Mark McEvoy, Brian Kelly, Kerry Inder, Peter Schofield, and John Attia
Department of General Medicine & Hunter Medical Research Institute, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Medicine and Public Health & Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia
J Am Geriatr Soc 2013 Oct; 61(10): 1838–1839
Introduction
• Mild hypoNa+ is usually asymptomatic.• Few previous studies suggest a probable
association between mild hypoNa+ and cognitive deficits leading to falls1-3.
• Included hospitalised patients with ensuing risk of Berkson’s bias and cognitive testing was limited to attention
Hypothesis
• Mild hyponatremia (serum Na+ >130 and ≤135 mmol/l) is associated with clinically subtle yet significant cognitive deficits, impaired balance, and increased propensity to fall among community-dwelling older persons
MethodsHunter Cohort Study4
• Community dwelling males and females aged 55 - 85 years residing in Newcastle
• Randomly recruited between Dec 2004 – Dec 2007 using a modified Dillman strategy
• Persons living in residential aged-care facility were excluded.
• Approved by HNE Human Research Ethics Committee and the NSW Population and Health Service Research Ethics Committee
Data collection
• 2 self-administered questionnaires– morbidity, diuretic use, previous falls, nutrition,
• 5 mmol/l drop in sodium from 135 to 130, increased the odds of falls by 32% (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.04-1.64).
• A change in age of 13 years, from 60 to 73, increased the odds of falls by 27% (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01-1.59); i.e. a drop of 5mmol/l in sodium had about the same effect on falls as aging by 13 years.
Predicted probabilities for the logistic models of falls vs. serum Na+, adjusted for age, gender and diuretic use. An absolute risk of ≈25% for a female aged 66 years, on no diuretics, at a sodium level of 130mmol/l .
No statistically significant relationship between hyponatremia and either TUG or FR
Conclusions
• Even mild degrees of hyponatremia can be associated with significant cognitive deficits and increased risk of falls in otherwise asymptomatic, medically stable older adults.
Limitations
• Serial serum Na+ measurements were not available.
• Surrogate markers of falls risk were crude and may not have detected subtle abnormalities in posture and gait reported by previous authors3.
References
1. Gankam Kengne F, Andres C, Sattar L, et al. Mild hyponatremia and risk of fracture in the ambulatory elderly. QJM. 2008;101:583-8.
2. Renneboog B, Musch W, Vandemergel X, et al. Mild chronic hyponatremia is associated with falls, unsteadiness, and attention deficits. Am J Med. 2006; 119:71.e1-8
3. Decaux G. Is asymptomatic hyponatremia really asymptomatic? Am J Med. 2006; 119:S79-82
4. McEvoy M, Smith W, D'Este C, et al. Cohort profile: The Hunter Community Study. Int J Epidemiol. 2010; 39:1452-63
5. Schofield PW, Lee SJ, Lewin TJ, et al. The Audio Recorded Cognitive Screen (ARCS): a flexible hybrid cognitive test instrument. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2010; 81:602-7
6. Duncan PW, Weiner DK, Chandler J, et al. Functional reach: a new clinical measure of balance. J Gerontol. 1990;45: M192-7
7. Podsiadlo D, Richardson S. The timed "Up & Go": a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991; 39:142-8