New research explains how low levels of the electrolyte sodium in the blood can disrupt the timing of the heartbeat in patients taking widely used rhythm-control medications such as flecainide, which ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had a nonstop coughing incident for a night and day after a feast, which landed him in the emergency room. He was found to have extremely low sodium levels (118-120 mEq/L), ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Earlier this week, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), after conducting a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, stirred up some controversy by concluding that the data ...

Distinguishing between arginine vasopressin (AVP) deficiency and primary polydipsia is challenging. Hypertonic saline–stimulated copeptin has been used to diagnose AVP deficiency with high accuracy ...

Low blood sodium, medically known as hyponatremia, is a condition in which the concentration of sodium in the blood falls below normal levels, leading to fluid imbalance in and around cells. Although ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 71-year-old woman in generally good health. The only prescription drugs I take are carbamazepine for seizures and ibandronate for osteoporosis. I’ve taken carbamazepine since ...

Despite efforts over the past several decades to reduce sodium intake in the United States, adults still consume an average of 3,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium every day. A number of scientific bodies ...

To define reference levels of sodium consumption, we conducted a search of published survey data, cohort studies, controlled trials, and dietary recommendations, as previously reported. 15 We ...