Hypernatremia in the geriatric population

Maulin K. Shah, Biruh Workeneh, George Taffet

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hypernatremia in the geriatric population is a common disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Older people are predisposed to developing hypernatremia because of age-related physiologic changes such as decreased thirst drive, impaired urinary concentrating ability, and reduced total body water. Medications may exacerbate this predisposition. Hypernatremia and dehydration occurring in nursing homes are considered indicators of neglect that warrant reporting, but there are other nonavoidable causes of hypernatremia, and consideration at time of presentation is essential to prevent delay in diagnosis and management. We describe a case illustrating the importance of the consideration of alternate explanations for hypernatremia in a nursing home resident, followed by a review of hypernatremia in the elderly population, to underscore that neglect is the etiology of exclusion after alternatives have been considered.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1987-1992
Number of pages6
JournalClinical Interventions in Aging
Volume9
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 19 2014

Keywords

  • Geriatric
  • Hypernatremia
  • Sodium

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Hypernatremia in the geriatric population'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this