Frequency of Hyponatremia in Children with Bronchiolitis from 1 Month up to 2 Years in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization in children, typically diagnosed based on a child’s symptoms and physical examination. A child shows signs like difficulty breathing, a persistent cough, trouble feeding, irritability, or episodes of apnea, along with wheezing or crackles heard during auscultation. In that case, these findings together strongly suggest a diagnosis of Bronchiolitis. Objective: To determine the frequency of Hyponatremia in children aged 1 month to 2 years diagnosed with bronchiolitis in a tertiary care hospital. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics Medicine, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, over six months from October 2024 to March 2025. The study included children aged 1 month to 2 years who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital with Bronchiolitis. A non-probability consecutive sampling method was used to select participants, and a total of 103 patients with Bronchiolitis were enrolled. Venous blood samples were collected within 24 hours of hospital admission to measure serum sodium levels. Data analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Results: The mean age of participants was 10.7 ± 6.0 months, with 60.2% being male gender. Hyponatremia was observed in 4.9% of patients, with a mean serum sodium level of 138.7 ± 3.1 mmol/L. No statistically significant associations were found between Hyponatremia and gender, age group, immunization status, or clinical history. Conclusion: Although the frequency of Hyponatremia in children with bronchiolitis was low in our setting, its potential complications necessitate routine electrolyte monitoring. Early detection and appropriate fluid management can help reduce the risk of adverse outcomes. Further multi-center studies are recommended to better understand the relationship between Hyponatremia and bronchiolitis severity.