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Low Serum Sodium Linked to Cognitive Decline in Older Men

126 to 140 mmol/L linked to increased odds of prevalent cognitive impairment, decline in older men

THURSDAY, Feb. 8, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Low serum sodium is associated with cognitive impairment and cognitive decline among community-dwelling older men, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Kristen L. Nowak, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, and colleagues examined whether lower normal serum sodium is associated with cognitive impairment and the risk of cognitive decline in a study involving 5,435 community-dwelling older men.

The researchers found that the fasting mean serum sodium level was 141 ± 3 mmol/L. Overall, 15, 12, and 13 percent of participants in tertiles 1 (126 to 140 mmol/L), 2 (141 to 142 mmol/L), and 3 (143 to 153 mmol/L), respectively, had prevalent cognitive impairment. Lower serum sodium correlated with prevalent cognitive impairment after adjustment (tertile 1 versus 2: odds ratio, 1.30). Cognitive decline was observed in 14, 10, and 13 percent of participants in tertiles 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There was also an association for lower serum sodium with cognitive decline (tertile 1 versus 2: odds ratio, 1.37). Additional associations were seen for prevalent cognitive impairment and cognitive decline in tertile 3.

“In community-dwelling older men, serum sodium between 126 to 140 mmol/L is independently associated with prevalent cognitive impairment and cognitive decline,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract
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