Prospective Study to Evaluate Serum Sodium and its Correlation with Serum Creatinine in Patients with Liver Disease

Sodium is an essential mineral of human body.It plays an important and diversified role in various physiological and metabolic functions of body. Disturbances in serum sodim level are generally seen in many disorders. Therefore its level would be a valuable aid to the diagnosis, severity and prognosis of the disease. The study was conducted on total 28 patients comprised of 14 patients, all male, mean age (37.36±12.4y), age group (25y-58y), with hepatitis as group-I and another 14 patients, all male, mean age (46.7±12y), age group (28y-76y) with ascitic cirrhosis as group-2 in the department of gastroenterology at Delhi Heart Institute and Research Centre - Bathinda (Pb). Diagnosis was made by case history, physical examination and confirmed by lab. investigations. Two samples independent t-test to compare sample means of group-1 and group-2, pearson's correlation coefficient and probable Error of correlation coefficient & scatter plot utilized to analyse data. group-1 showed 3 out of 14 patients (21.4%) with HCV and remaining 11 out of 14 patients (78.5%) with HAV. Group-2 showed 1 out of 14 patients (7%) with HCV ascites cirrhosis and remaining 13 out of 14 patients (92.8%) with alcoholic ascitic cirrhosis. Further results showed mean serum sodium con. (138±2.36meq/L) of group-1 significantly (p<.002) higher than normal lower most value of serum sodium conc. (135meq/L). Group-2 exhibited a mean serum sodium level (127.79±3.9meq/L) significantly (p<.001) lower then the normal reference value (135meq/L) as well as with group 1. Pearson's inverse correlation coefficient (r = - 0.725) highly significant (p=.003) with probable error of coefficient of correlation (r = 0.085) observed between serum sodium and serum creatinine in ascitic cirrhotic group-2 whereas a highly weak inverse correlation (r=.009) not significant (p=0.97) 0btained in group-1 hepatitis patients.