Disturbances in plasma sodium in patients with war head injuries

Polyuria with marked plasma sodium disturbance was present in 39 of 224 pat ients with isolated craniocerebral war injuries. Twenty-one of these 39 pat ients had hyponatremia (sodium level < 130 mmol/l) and polyuria. Eight of t hem (38%) died within 30 days after trauma. The remaining 18 patients devel oped classic diabetes insipidus syndrome, and 6 of them (33%) died of hyper natremia within 30 days after trauma. The mortality in both patients with h yponatremia and patients with diabetes insipidus was higher in those with g reater disturbances of plasma sodium concentration with polyuria and those with lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores.