Study of association and significance of hyponatremia in patients with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI)

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia, the severe form of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in children especially from the developing nations. Pneumonia is the infection and associated inflammation of the lung parenchyma. Pneumonia is the leading infectious killer of under 5 children claiming more lives than any other diseases. The burden is more in the developing nations. Around 15% of under 5 mortality is attributed to pneumonia. Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte imbalance which occurs in children with pneumonia. Many studies have reported the incidence of hyponatremia around 40 to 45%. Aim & Objective-: To see the frequency of hyponatremia in patients with LRTI & its significance in relation to disease severity. Materials & Methods: It was a hospital based observational study. The study has been conducted in the Department of pediatrics, S C B Medical college hospital & SVPPPGIP, Cuttack. Result: Hyponatremia was a frequent finding in children with bronchopneumonia (44.6%). Patients with hyponatremia group had initial high body temperature in present study (101.9ºc vs99.7). Conclusion: There is importance of measuring serum electrolytes in patients with LRTI. Appropriate fluid should be done in case of LRTI.