Practical management of exercise-associated hyponatremic encephalopathy: the sodium paradox of non-osmotic vasopressin secretion

[Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Endurance Performance]

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Endurance Performance Abstract. Exercise-associated hyponatremia is defined as a plasma sodium concentration of <135 mmol/l and was first described by Timothy Noakes at the Comrades Marathon in South Africa in the mid-1980s. A decrease in plasma sodium <135 mmol/l occurs with excessive fluid intake. Risk factors include long to very long endurance performance, extreme climatic conditions, female gender and competitions in the USA. Regarding its prevalence by sport, exercise-associated hyponatraemia tends to occur while swimming and running, but rarely when cycling. While mild exercise-associated hyponatremia does not lead to clinical symptoms, severe hyponatremia due to cerebral edema can lead to neurological deficits and even death. The best prevention of exercise-associated hyponatremia is the reduction of fluid intake during exercise.

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: 2017 Update

Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) was initially described in the 1980s in endurance athletes, and work done since then has conclusively identified that overdrinking beyond thirst and non-osmotic arginine vasopressin release are the most common etiologic factors. In recent years, EAH has been described in a broader variety of athletic events and also has been linked to the development of rhabdomyolysis. The potential role of volume and sodium depletion in a subset of athletes has also been described. This review focuses on the most recent literature in the field of EAH and summarizes key new findings in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, treatment, and prevention of this condition.

Incidence and Prevalence of Acute Kidney Injury During Multistage Ultramarathons

OBJECTIVE

Determine prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) during multistage ultramarathons.

DESIGN

Prospective observational cohort study.

SETTING

Jordanian Desert 2012; Atacama Desert, Chile 2012 and 2013; and Gobi Desert 2013 RacingThePlanet 250 km, 6-stage, ultramarathons.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred twenty-eight participants (384 measurements) from the Jordan (25, 19.5%), Gobi (35, 27.3%), 2012 Atacama (24, 18.8%), and 2013 Atacama (44, 34.4%) races.

INTERVENTIONS

Blood samples and weights were gathered and analyzed immediately after stage 1 (40 km), 3 (120 km), and 5 (225 km).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Changes in serum creatinine (Cr), cumulative incidence, and prevalence of AKI were calculated for each stage with "risk of injury" defined as 1.5 × baseline Cr and "injury" defined as 2 × Cr.

RESULTS

Cumulative incidence of AKI was 41.4%. Stage 1 had 56 (43.8%) with risk of AKI and 24 (18.8%) with injury; in stage 3, 61 (47.7%) were at risk, 41 (32%) had injury; in stage 5, 62 (48.4%) runners were at risk and 36 (28.1%) had injury. Acute kidney injury was significantly associated with females [odds ratio (OR), 4.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.07-10.37; P < 0.001], lower pack weight (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56-0.91; P < 0.007), and percentage weight loss (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97; P < 0.015). Lowest quintile of finishers was less likely to develop AKI (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04-0.78; P < 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence of AKI was 63%-78% during multistage ultramarathons. Female sex, lower pack weight, and greater weight loss were associated with renal impairment.

Fatal water intoxication and cardiac arrest in runners during marathons: prevention and treatment based on validated clinical paradigms

Cerebral edema due to exercise-associated hyponatremia and cardiac arrest due to atherosclerotic heart disease cause rare marathon-related fatalities in young female and middle-aged male runners, respectively. Studies in asymptomatic middle-aged male physician-runners during races identified inflammation due to skeletal muscle injury after glycogen depletion as the shared underlying cause. Nonosmotic secretion of arginine vasopressin as a neuroendocrine stress response to rhabdomyolysis mediates hyponatremia as a variant of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. Fatal hyponatremic encephalopathy in young female runners was curtailed using emergent infusion of intravenous hypertonic (3%) saline to reverse cerebral edema on the basis of this paradigm. This treatment was arrived at through a consensus process within the medical community. An increasing frequency of cardiac arrest and sudden death has been identified in middle-aged male runners in 2 studies since the year 2000. Same-aged asymptomatic male physician-runners showed post-race elevations in interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, biomarkers that predict acute cardiac events in healthy persons. Hypercoagulability with in vivo platelet activation and release of cardiac troponin and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were also observed post-race in these same subjects. High short-term risk for atherothrombosis during races as shown by stratification of biomarkers in asymptomatic men may render nonobstructive coronary atherosclerotic plaques vulnerable to rupture. Pre-race aspirin use in this high-risk subgroup is prudent according to conclusive evidence for preventing first acute myocardial infarctions in same-aged healthy male physicians. On the basis of validated clinical paradigms, taking a low-dose aspirin before a marathon and drinking to thirst during the race may avert preventable deaths in susceptible runners.

Water and sodium intake habits and status of ultra-endurance runners during a multi-stage ultra-marathon conducted in a hot ambient environment: an observational field based study

Background

Anecdotal evidence suggests ultra-runners may not be consuming sufficient water through foods and fluids to maintenance euhydration, and present sub-optimal sodium intakes, throughout multi-stage ultra-marathon (MSUM) competitions in the heat. Subsequently, the aims were primarily to assess water and sodium intake habits of recreational ultra-runners during a five stage 225 km semi self-sufficient MSUM conducted in a hot ambient environment (T_max range: 32°C to 40°C); simultaneously to monitor serum sodium concentration, and hydration status using multiple hydration assessment techniques.

Methods

Total daily, pre-stage, during running, and post-stage water and sodium ingestion of ultra-endurance runners (UER, n = 74) and control (CON, n = 12) through foods and fluids were recorded on Stages 1 to 4 by trained dietetic researchers using dietary recall interview technique, and analysed through dietary analysis software. Body mass (BM), hydration status, and serum sodium concentration were determined pre- and post-Stages 1 to 5.

Results

Water (overall mean (SD): total daily 7.7 (1.5) L/day, during running 732 (183) ml/h) and sodium (total daily 3.9 (1.3) g/day, during running 270 (151) mg/L) ingestion did not differ between stages in UER (p < 0.001 vs. CON). Exercise-induced BM loss was 2.4 (1.2)% (p < 0.001). Pre- to post-stage BM gains were observed in 26% of UER along competition. Pre- and post-stage plasma osmolality remained within normal clinical reference range (280 to 303 mOsmol/kg) in the majority of UER (p > 0.05 vs. CON pre-stage). Asymptomatic hyponatraemia (<135 mmol/L) was evident pre- and post-stage in n = 8 UER, corresponding to 42% of sampled participants. Pre- and post-stage urine colour, urine osmolality and urine/plasma osmolality ratio increased (p < 0.001) as competition progressed in UER, with no change in CON. Plasma volume and extra-cellular water increased (p < 0.001) 22.8% and 9.2%, respectively, from pre-Stage 1 to 5 in UER, with no change in CON.

Conclusion

Water intake habits of ultra-runners during MSUM conducted in hot ambient conditions appear to be sufficient to maintain baseline euhydration levels. However, fluid over-consumption behaviours were evident along competition, irrespective of running speed and gender. Normonatraemia was observed in the majority of ultra-runners throughout MSUM, despite sodium ingestion under benchmark recommendations.

Clinical analysis of electrolyte imbalance in thalamic hemorrhage patients within 24 h after admission

We have observed that patients with thalamic hemorrhage are more likely to have electrolyte disturbances than those with non-thalamic hemorrhage. Here, we are attempting to provide some comprehensive information on electrolyte disturbances in patients with thalamic hemorrhage. Retrospectively, 67 patients with thalamic hemorrhage (TH group) and 256 with non-thalamic hemorrhage (N-TH group) were found from computer tomography images. Electrolytes of these patients were tested within 24 h after hospitalization. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidence of electrolyte imbalance. Serum K+ levels were found to be abnormal in 37.31% of the patients in the TH group and 24.21% in the N-TH group, and the difference was significant (p<0.05). Such a difference was also observed for the levels of serum Na+ and Cl+. Incidences of abnormal serum K+ (p<0.05), Na+ (p<0.01) and Cl(-) (p<0.01) levels were different among thalamic hemorrhage, basal ganglia area hemorrhage and lobar hemorrhage patients. In the TH group, the mortality of patients with electrolyte disturbances (42.50%) was higher than that of patients with normal electrolyte levels (14.81%, p<0.05). The incidence of electrolyte imbalance is higher in patients with thalamic hemorrhage than in those with non-thalamic hemorrhage. The reason may be partly related to the location of the hemorrhage. Electrolyte disturbance may contribute to the higher mortality of patients with thalamic hemorrhage.

An intervention study of oral versus intravenous hypertonic saline administration in ultramarathon runners with exercise-associated hyponatremia: a preliminary randomized trial

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether asymptomatic exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) in ultramarathon runners can be corrected with either oral or intravenous (IV) 3% hypertonic saline (HTS).

DESIGN

Prospective with randomization into 1 of 2 intervention arms.

SETTING

Western States (161 km) Endurance Run, California.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-seven finishers in the event consented to be screened to identify those with EAH, defined as plasma sodium ([Na]p) <135 mmol/L at race end.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants with EAH but without symptoms were randomized to receive a single 100 mL dose of either oral or IV 3% HTS. Blood was drawn before intervention and at 60 minutes postintervention to measure [Na]p, and concentrations of plasma potassium, proteins, and arginine vasopressin (AVP). Body mass, percent total body water, and percent body fat were measured prerace and postrace using impedance scales.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Change in [Na]p.

RESULTS

Fourteen of 47 consenting finishers (30%) had EAH. Eight agreed to be randomized into the intervention protocol. Only in the IV group did [Na]p change significantly (from 130.8 to 134.6 mmol/L) over the 60 minutes post-HTS administration. Elevated AVP concentrations were seen at race finish in both the groups and remained so after HTS treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

In this preliminary trial, prompt administration of a 100 mL bolus of IV 3% HTS was associated with normalization of [Na]p in asymptomatic EAH, but a similar effect was not demonstrated for the same dose orally. Elevated AVP levels were observed and may play a part in the development of EAH but were not suppressed significantly by either intervention.

Arginine vasopressin, fluid balance and exercise: is exercise-associated hyponatraemia a disorder of arginine vasopressin secretion?

The ability of the human body to regulate plasma osmolality (POsm) within a very narrow and well defined physiological range underscores the vital importance of preserving water and sodium balance at rest and during exercise. The principle endocrine regulator of whole body fluid homeostasis is the posterior pituitary hormone, arginine vasopressin (AVP). Inappropriate AVP secretion may perpetuate either slow or rapid violation of these biological boundaries, thereby promoting pathophysiology, morbidity and occasional mortality. In the resting state, AVP secretion is primarily regulated by changes in POsm (osmotic regulation). The osmotic regulation of AVP secretion during exercise, however, may possibly be enhanced or overridden by many potential non-osmotic factors concurrently stimulated during physical activity, particularly during competition. The prevalence of these highly volatile non-osmotic AVP stimuli during strenuous or prolonged physical activity may reflect a teleological mechanism to promote water conservation during exercise. However, non-osmotic AVP secretion, combined with high fluid availability plus sustained fluid intake (exceeding fluid output), has been hypothesized to lead to an increase in both the incidence and related deaths from exercise-associated hyponatraemia (EAH) in lay and military populations. Inappropriately, high plasma AVP concentrations ([AVP](p)) associated with low blood sodium concentrations facilitate fluid retention and sodium loss, thereby possibly reconciling both the water intoxication and sodium loss theories of hyponatraemia that are currently under debate. Therefore, given the potential for a variety of exercise-induced non-osmotic stimuli for AVP secretion, hydration strategies must be flexible, individualized and open to change during competitive events to prevent the occurrence of rare, but life-threatening, EAH. This review focuses on the potential osmotic and non-osmotic stimuli to AVP secretion that may affect fluid homeostasis during physical activity. Recent laboratory and field data support: (i) stimulatory effects of exercise intensity and duration on [AVP](p); (ii) possible relationships between changes in POsm with changes in both sweat and urinary osmolality; (iii) alterations in the AVP osmoregulatory set-point by sex steroid hormones; (iv) differences in [AVP](p) in trained versus untrained athletes; and (v) potential inter-relationships between AVP and classical (aldosterone, atrial natriuretic peptide) and non-classical (oxytocin, interleukin-6) endocrine mediators. The review concludes with a hypothesis on how sustained fluid intakes beyond the capacity for fluid loss might possibly facilitate the development of hyponatraemia if exercise-induced non-osmotic stimuli override 'normal' osmotic suppression of AVP when hypo-osmolality exists.

Exercise-associated hyponatremia during winter sports

Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) is hyponatremia that occurs <or= 24 hours after prolonged physical activity. It is a potentially serious complication of marathons, triathlons, and ultradistance events, and can occur in hot and cold environments. Clear evidence indicates that EAH is a dilutional hyponatremia caused by excessive fluid consumption and the inappropriate release of arginine vasopressin. Cerebral and pulmonary edema can cause serious signs and symptoms, including altered mental status, respiratory distress, seizures, coma, and death. Rapid diagnosis and urgent treatment with hypertonic saline is necessary to prevent severe complications or death. Prevention is based on educating athletes to avoid excessive drinking before, during, and after exercise.

Exercise-associated hyponatremia: overzealous fluid consumption

Exercise-associated hyponatremia is hyponatremia occurring during or up to 24 hours after prolonged exertion. In its more severe form, it manifests as cerebral and pulmonary edema. There have now been multiple reports of its occurring in a wilderness setting. It can now be considered the most important medical problem of endurance exercise. The Second International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Conference gives an up-to-date account of the nature and management of this disease. This article reviews key information from this conference and its statement. There is clear evidence that the primary cause of exercise-associated hyponatremia is fluid consumption in excess of that required to replace insensible losses. This is usually further complicated by the presence of inappropriate arginine vasopressin secretion, which decreases the ability to renally excrete the excess fluid consumed. Women, those of low body weight, and those taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are particularly at risk. When able to be biochemically diagnosed, severe exercise-associated hyponatremia is treated with hypertonic saline. In a wilderness setting, the key preventative intervention is moderate fluid consumption based on perceived need ("ad libitum") and not on a rigid rule. (Editor's Note: This paper was written at my request in an effort to increase awareness of this important clinical entity among members of the wilderness community, many of whom are involved in activities that place them at risk of its development. I thank the authors for their diligent efforts.)

Exertional dysnatremia in collapsed marathon runners: a critical role for point-of-care testing to guide appropriate therapy

Dysnatremia may cause life-threatening encephalopathy in marathon runners. Hypernatremia and exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) may manifest with mental status changes and, if untreated, progress to coma and death. We reviewed the on-site blood sodium testing and treatment in collapsed runners at the finish-line medical tent at the Boston marathons from 2001 through 2008. Dysnatremia was diagnosed in 429 (32.5%) of 1,319 collapsed runners. Hypernatremia was present in 366 (27.7%) and hyponatremia in 63 (4.8%). Hypernatremic runners unable to drink fluids were treated with intravenous normal (0.9%) saline. Hyponatremic runners with seizures or coma received intravenous hypertonic (3%) saline. Sixteen runners with EAH able to drink a concentrated oral hypertonic solution recovered within 30 minutes. Based on on-site sodium testing, dysnatremic runners were treated with appropriate intravenous fluids according to validated standards of care. Hyponatremic runners able to drink an oral hypertonic solution recovered promptly.