Abstract

HERNANDEZ MARTIN, María Antonia; MEDEROS VILLAMISAR, Abel; CANEDO HERNANDEZ, Osvaldo  and  SOTO ORTEGA, Iván. Characterization of patients presenting with salt wasting cerebral syndrome in severe neurologic affections. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.3-4, pp. 241-248. ISSN 0138-6557.

Introduction: hyponatremia is common and severe problem in clinical medicine. Objective: to characterize the patients presenting with salt wasting cerebral syndrome in the evolution and prognosis of severe neurological lesions and its relation to the neurologic course. Methods: a prospective, longitudinal, analytical and observational study was conducted in 114 patients. Results: the salt losing cerebral syndrome was present in 23 of the 114 cases for a 20.2 % of patients involved. There was a great incidence in subarachnoid hemorrhage (55.6 %), tumors (36.4 %) and the intra-parenchymatous hemorrhage (17.6%). From the 56 patients with a unfavourable, 16 had the above mentioned syndrome (28.5 %) and there was a greater percentage of deceased among those with it (23.1 % vs. 17.7 % without it). Mortality not showed significant differences as regards the total figure of deceased. Conclusions: the salt wasting cerebral syndrome has a high incidence in patients with acute neurological affections, with a more frequent association with subarachnoid hemorrhage, the intracranial tumors and the ischemic cerebrovascular disease. It has relation to the neurologic evolution and it is more probable its suffering when it is unfavourable.

Keywords : salt wasting cerebral syndrome; severe neurologic affections.