Hyponatraemia—the most common serum electrolyte disorder—is an important marker of the severity and prognosis of a number of diseases. In this Review, Schrier et al. discuss the effect of hyponatraemia in different patient groups, including those with pneumonia, heart failure, cirrhosis, and the elderly population. The authors discuss the need for prospective studies to examine whether correcting hyponatraemia can improve outcomes or whether hyponatraemia is just a marker of severe disease.
- Robert W. Schrier
- Shailendra Sharma
- Dmitry Shchekochikhin