Hyponatremia is diagnosed by reading the report of the electrolyte panel which is done in nearly all patients who have blood tests done in the hospital or in the outpatient setting. Any value of serum sodium concentration lower than 135 mEq/L is considered hyponatremia.

In order to find the reasons for hyponatremia, other tests are used. For example, if hyponatremia is related to elevated blood sugar as one of the previous posts, What Causes Hyponatremia? C, a blood sugar test is needed. A TSH test is used to see if hyponatremia is related to hypothyroidism. Urine sodium and urine potassium are used to calculate if the patient is able to clear water through the urine and to diagnose syndrome of inappropriate secretion of ADH (SIADH), for this, please see What Causes Hyponatremia? D.

If the patient has hyponatremia, the sodium level has to be measured at least daily (and more frequently if the hyponatremia is severe) in order to see if the treatment the patient is receiving is resulting in normalizing the serum sodium level.

Marco A. Ramos MD, CCDS

Any information or statement present in this post does not replace your health care provider’s advice or treatment. This blog does not provide medical advice, prescribe medications or therapies, or diagnose conditions, it only expresses an opinion. If you have a health-related question or condition, confer with your healthcare provider.

- In order to quote from this article please use the following:

Marco A. Ramos, “Hyponatremia for Everyone. #6. Diagnosis and Tests used in Hyponatremia,” SMO Blog (blog), August 31, 2018, https://steemit.com/health/@secondmedicalop/hyponatremia-for-everyone-6-diagnosis-and-tests-used-in-hyponatremia

Read the other sections of this series:

Introduction
What Causes Hyponatremia? A
What Causes Hyponatremia? B
What Causes Hyponatremia? C
What Causes Hyponatremia? D
How Common is Hyponatremia?
What Happens when Someone has Hyponatremia?
Signs and Symptoms of Hyponatremia

Picture purchased and downloaded from istockphoto.com under a standard license Author: Nerthuz