Validation of New Diagnostic Indices to Simplify Hyponatremia Therapy Assessment in Patients on Thiazide Diuretics

Thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics associated hyponatremia (thiazide associated hyponatremia, TAH) has a high prevalence in hospitalized patients. Patients might present either with a hypovolemic hyponatremia due to volume loss as a diuretic effect of thiazide, or with a syndrome of inadequate antidiuresis (SIAD) like hyponatremia in need of fluid restriction. Canonical urine indices are not useful in differential diagnosis, being directly influenced by thiazide itself. Current guidelines suggest the use of a clinical volume status assessment, but this approach has a poor diagnostic performance, with less than 50% of patients being rightly diagnosed thru that. The investigators showed in a retrospective analysis the possible role of strong apparent ion difference (aSID) and of chloride and potassium levels in urine (ChU) in differential diagnosis of TAH. The goal of this study is to investigate prospectively whether implementation of aSID and, in case of inconclusive aSID, ChU, allows a correct differential diagnosis and treatment of TAH.