Etiology and prevalence of hyponatremia in geriatric patients with fragility hip fractures

Aim: In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and etiological factors of hyponatremia among geriatric patients, who presented to the emergency department (ED) with simple mechanical falls and were diagnosed with a hip fragility fracture, and to compare these patients' clinical course with that of patients with a normal serum sodium level. Material and Method: This study is a retrospective study. Patients aged 65 years or older, admitted to the ED with hip fragility fracture, were enrolled in the study. The patients' serum sodium level at admission was evaluated. Study data were analyzed with IBM SPSS 20.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) /statistical software. Results: This study enrolled 646 patients; 30.5 % of the patients were male and the median age was 85 (IQR 25-75, 78-89) years. Hyponatremia was present in 16.4% (n=106) of the patients. A comparison of the normonatremic and hyponatremic patients showed that the hyponatremic ones had a greater prevalence of osteoporosis, proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and diuretic use, a higher creatinine level, and a lower hematocrit level (p=0.002, p=0.042, p=0.008, p=0.023, p=0.001, respectively). Discussion: Hip fractures are emergency conditions associated with high mortality, which are especially common in the elderly. We showed a considerable prevalence of hyponatremia in geriatric hip fractures. We believe that mild chronic hyponatremia is one of the important risk factors for fragility hip fracture. The majority of hyponatremia cases are the result of comorbidities and polypharmacy.