Hyponatremia: A Practical Interpretation Guide
Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disturbance encountered in laboratory medicine.
Classify by osmolality
- Hypotonic hyponatremia: True low sodium, further split by volume status.
- Isotonic hyponatremia: Often due to hyperlipidemia or hyperproteinemia.
- Hypertonic hyponatremia: Seen with hyperglycemia or other osmoles.
Key checks
Confirm the result, review the clinical volume status, and correlate with paired electrolytes.