Background and purpose: Heart failure (HF) is characterized by decreased ability of the heart to provide sufficient blood flow or fill with the blood. Hyponatremia is the most commonly seen electrolyte abnormality in patients with heart failure that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between hyponatremia and high risk clinical and echocardiographic features in patients with acute HF.
Materials and methods: This cross-sectional analytic study was performed in 271 patients with acute systolic heart failure admitted to Sari Fatemeh Zahra hospital, 2018-2019. Patients were divided into two groups: hyponatremic and normonatremic groups. Vital signs, echocardiographic variables, body mass index (BMI), and common cardiovascular risk factors were compared between the two groups using SPSS V18.
Results: This study included 130 males (48%) and 141 females (52%) and the patients’ mean age was 69.90±14.02 years. Patients with hyponatremia had lower BMI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and higher platelet counts compared to other group (P =0.01, 0.002, 0.005, and 0.047, respectively). Also, these patients, were found with higher frequency of moderate to severe functional mitral regurgitation (P= 0.076). Linear regression analysis showed hyponatremia as an independent predictor of hypotension and hemodynamic instability in patients with hyponatremia.
Conclusion: This study showed that patients with acute HF and hyponatremia are at higher risk of developing hypotension, cachexia, and increased platelet counts which put them at greater risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.