Associations of Dysnatremia with COVID-19 Status and Mortality

Diane Liu, Wenzhu Mowrey, Molly Fisher, Abby Basalely, John McCarthy, Neelja Kumar, Jyotsana Thakkar, Yorg Azzi, Maureen Brogan, Ladan Golestaneh, Wei Chen, Kimberly J. Reidy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background In patients without COVID-19, dysnatremia is associated with mortality. These relationships are not well established in patients with COVID-19. We tested the hypotheses that patients with COVID-19 were more likely to have dysnatremia than those without COVID-19 and that, among those with COVID-19, dysnatremia is associated with mortality. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients admitted to a tertiary care center in the Bronx, New York, during the COVID-19 surge from March 11 to April 26, 2020. Using multinomial logistic regression models, we compared the prevalence of hypernatremia (serum sodium ≥150 mEq/L) and hyponatremia (serum sodium <130 mEq/L) on admission between patients with and without COVID-19. Among patients with COVID-19, we used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association of dysnatremia with mortality. Results Compared with those without COVID-19 (n=1265), patients with COVID-19 (n=3345) had a higher prevalence of hypernatremia (7% versus 4%, P<0.001) and hyponatremia (7% versus 6%, P=0.04). In adjusted models, COVID-19-positive patients had a higher likelihood of having hypernatremia (adjusted odds ratio=1.87, 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.57, P=0.001) compared with COVID-19-negative patients, whereas the association between hyponatremia and COVID-19 status was no longer significant (P=0.06). Among patients with COVID-19, 775 (23%) died after a median follow-up of 17 days (IQR 7-27 days). Among nonsurvivors, 15% had hypernatremia and 8% had hyponatremia on admission. Hypernatremia was associated with a higher risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio=1.28, 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.63, P=0.04) compared with patients with eunatremia. Conclusions In patients hospitalized during the spring 2020 COVID-19 surge, COVID-19 status was associated with hypernatremia on admission. Among patients with COVID-19, hypernatremia was associated with higher mortality. Hypernatremia may be a potential prognostic marker for mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1323-1331
Number of pages9
JournalKidney360
Volume3
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 25 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • acid/base and electrolyte disorders
  • acute kidney injury
  • dysnatremia
  • hypernatremia
  • hyponatremia
  • mortality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nephrology
  • Medicine (miscellaneous)

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