Hyponatraemia in cases of children with pneumonia

Sakellaropoulou, Afroditi; Hatzistilianou, Maria; Eboriadou, Maria; Athanasiadou-Piperopoulou, Fanni

Hyponatraemia is a frequent finding in children with pneumonia. Usually, it comprises part of the syndrome of inappropriate SIADH [10, 15, 16] . Secretion of anti-diuretic hormone typically results in water retention with minimal weight gain, usually with no oedema formation, and normal blood pressure [10] . According to studies, SIADH occurs in about one third of children hospitalized for pneumonia, and was associated with a more severe disease and a poorer outcome [10] . Few studies exist concerning the correlation of HN and pneumonia in children. It was first described by Stormont and Waterhouse in 1962 [17] . Since then and during the past 35 years, only case reports and a few relevant studies on the association between HN and pneumonia have been published, of which only three concern children [10, 18, 19] . Community-acquired (CAP) and nosocomial pneumonias contribute substantially to morbidity and hospital resource utilization [20, 21] . Hyponatraemia, occurring in more than 1/4 of patients with CAP, is associated with greater disease severity and worsened outcomes [20] .