hyponatremia in Hepatic patient
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Dilutional hyponatremia is common in cirrhosis patients with ascites, occurring in 30-60% of cases. It involves reduced ability to excrete water due to impaired kidney function and excess arginine vasopressin. Fluid restriction can prevent worsening hyponatremia but not increase sodium levels. New drugs that block vasopressin's effects, called V2 receptor antagonists, increase water excretion and serum sodium without electrolyte or blood pressure changes. Studies in animals and healthy humans show promise for V2 antagonists in treating hyponatremia in cirrhosis patients.
hyponatremia in Hepatic patient
- 2. Dilutional hyponatremia in cirrhosis is defined as a reduction in serum sodium concentrations to below 130 mEq/L with expanded extracellular fluid volume in the form of ascites and/or edema. The renal capacity to eliminate solute-free water is usually markedly impaired
- 3. Hyponatremia is usually a late event in cirrhosis and occurs chronologically after the development of sodium retention and ascites. Although there are no longitudinal studies assessing the occurrence of hyponatremia in patients with ascites, most patients develop this complication during the course of the disease. Data from cross-sectional studies indicate that approximately 30-35% of hospitalized patients with cirrhosis and ascites have hyponatremia In patients with refractory ascites or hepatorenal syndrome, this proportion increases to 40 to 60%
- 4. The pathogenesis of dilutional hyponatremia in cirrhosis is complex and involves several renal and extra-renal factors, including a reduced delivery of filtrate to the ascending limb of the loop of Henle, reduced renal synthesis of prostaglandins, and non-osmotic hypersecretion of arginine vasopressin
- 5. The most widely accepted therapy for dilutional hypo-natremia in cirrhosis and other water-retaining states is restricting fluids to 1 liter/day to prevent further increase in total body water. Unfortunately, fluid restriction in patients with cirrhosis and dilutional hyponatremia does not raise serum sodium levels, but it probably prevents them from lowering further. Administration of hypertonic saline solution is not recommended because additional expansion of extracellular fluid can worsen edema and ascites and its effect in increasing serum sodium is very modest. In addition to water restriction, patients must also follow a low-sodium diet because they have marked sodium retention.
- 6. The management of dilutional hyponatremia in cirrhosis focused on inhibiting the actions of arginine vasopressin. One of the first drugs used for dilutional hyponatremia was demeclocycline, a tetracycline that inhibits the tubular effect of arginine vasopressin thereby increasing solute-free water clearance and serum sodium concentration. One of the drawbacks of this agent was the development of renal failure and it was therefore abandoned in patients with cirrhosis
- 7. In recent years, non-peptide antagonists of the V2 receptors of arginine vasopressin have become available and are being tested in phase II clinical trials. An orally effective non-peptidic V2 receptor antagonist, OPC 31260 that 100 times more selective for V2 than for V1 receptors. Recently, several other non-peptide V2 receptor antagonists including SR 121463, conivaptan, tolvaptan, RWJ-351647, and VPA 985, with more affinity than OPC 31260 for V2 receptors, have been the focus of experimental and clinical studies.
- 8. In healthy subjects, V2 receptor antagonists have been shown to induce a dose dependent increase in urine volume, decrease in urine osmolality, and a marked increase in solute- free water excretion without significantly altering electrolyte excretion, blood pressure or heart rate. V2 receptor antagonists have also been extensively studied in experimental cirrhosis. These investigations clearly show an increase in solute-free water excretion, serum sodium, and urine volume and a reduction in urine osmolality