Impact of hyponatremia on morbidity, mortality and resource utilization in portal hypertensive ascites: A nationwide analysis

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Ascites and hyponatremia are important milestones of worsening portal hypertension in those with cirrhosis. The objective of our study was to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics, resource utilization and disposition of hospitalized cirrhotic patients with ascites with and without hyponatremia. Methods The National In-patient Sample (NIS) database was used to identify all adult hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of cirrhosis and ascites with or without hyponatremia from 2016 to 2017 using ICD -10 codes. Results During the study period, 10,187 (7.6%) hospitalized patients with cirrhosis had ascites and hyponatremia and 34,555 (24.3%) had ascites, but no hyponatremia. Elixhauser comorbidity score, excluding liver disease, was higher in hyponatremic patients (median 21 vs. 12, p