Low sodium may up elderly risk for falls

DENVER, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A Dutch researcher has linked low-sodium levels to a higher risk of falls and fractures among the elderly.

Dr. Ewout Hoorn of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, says low sodium -- hyponatremia -- is a common electrolyte disorder and may develop when the kidneys retain too much water.

"Screening for a low-sodium concentration in the blood, and treating it when present, may be a new strategy to prevent fractures," Hoorn says in a statement. "Although the complications of hyponatremia are well-recognized in hospitalized patients, this is one of the first studies to show that mild hyponatremia also has important complications in the general population."

Hoorn and colleagues gathered six years of data for more than 5,200 community-dwelling Dutch adults age 55 and older.

Eight percent of the study participants were found to have low sodium. This group had a higher rate of diabetes than the normal sodium group and was more likely to use diuretics -- as well as a higher rate of falls and a 61 percent higher rate of vertebral compression fractures.

No difference was found in bone mineral density between the low salt and normal salt groups so the fractures were not linked to underlying osteoporosis, Hoorn said.

The findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd annual meeting and scientific exposition in Denver.