Hipernatremia dan Penatalaksanaanya

Abstract

Hypernatremia could be caused by loss of water (increased loss or decreased intake), and although rarely, due to over intake of natrium. Patients who are at risk of hypernatremia are those with disturbance of thirst or limited access of water. Several factors that could cause hypernatremia especially among geriatric patients are, as follows: change of thirst stimuli, decreased ability to concentrate urine, and decreased total body water. Clinical signs of hypernatremia are usually not specific, however, patients tend to become symptomatic if hypernatemia occurs acutely. Hypernatremia clinical signs are mostly neurological related to the severity and the change of serum sodium concentration. Complications of hypernatremia are inter alia shrinkage of brain tissue due to the movement of water from intracellular to extracellular fluid which results in injury of brain vessels, bleeding in the brain, and a variety of neurological signs due to brain involovement which could lead to death. Management of hypernatremia has to be carried out accurately and thoroughly because inaccurate or too-rapid correction could risk the occurrence of cerebral edema.