Nursing home patients more likely to be dehydrated

By Shereen Lehman (Reuters Health) – People in nursing homes are more likely to be dehydrated than elderly people living in the community, new research suggests. The study, involving patients admitted to hospitals in the UK, found that dehydration was more common among those who came from nursing homes. In serious cases, dehydration can lead to high levels of sodium in the blood, a condition called hypernatremia that can increase the risk of dying in the hospital, the researchers say. “We believe that when a hospital finds that more than a few people are admitted with a high sodium from an individual (nursing) home it should raise a warning flag,” Dr. Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the study’s senior author, told Reuters Health in an email.



via Health News Headlines - Yahoo News http://ift.tt/1zUQpys