Covid, the study: sodium level alterations ‘spy’ disease outcome

Alterations in sodium levels can provide useful indications during hospitalization regarding the chances of overcoming Covid-19. It is the result of a study based on the observation of 380 patients, assisted at the Florentine university hospital of Careggi in the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic. This is explained by Alessandro Peri, author of the study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology “and head of the Unit dedicated to hypothalamic-pituitary pathologies and sodium alterations, within the Sod endocrinology complex of Careggi, directed by Mario Maggi.” serum sodium concentrations – underlines Peri – physiologically are enclosed in a range between 135 and 145 milliequivalents per liter. Various studies, including the one on the sodium-Covid ratio carried out in Careggi, have shown an increased risk of mortality in various pathologies the more one deviates from these reference values. Notably, in the published study, low blood sodium concentrations (hyponatremia) emerged in 22.9% of patients upon admission. This condition has been highlighted as an index of disease complexity in the Covid-19 infection. In particular, the concentrations of sodium in the blood correlate directly with the parameters of respiratory function and inversely with the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 involved in damage to lung tissue “.” Hyponatremia – specifies Peri – it was found to be an independent risk factor for the use of assisted breathing systems and therefore for the transfer of patients to intensive care. Even more relevant was the association between hyponatremia and increased risk of death, up to 2.7 times higher than in patients with normal sodium values. These data – he concludes – indicate how a quickly obtainable parameter, the level of sodium in the blood, can be an early indicator of severity in patients with Covid-19 and therefore be of clinical utility to identify those at greater risk of disease progression. “.