Hiccups to hyponatremic encephalopathy: A rare presentation of acute water intoxication in a patient after uroflowmetry
ABSTRACT Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) commonly presents with lower urinary tract symptoms and requires preprocedural bladder filling for urologic evaluation. A 61-year-old male with BPH, diabetes, and hypertension developed altered sensorium, behavioral changes, hiccups, and a single episode of generalized tonic–clonic seizure after consuming 4 L of water during 2 h prior to uroflowmetry and ultrasound. Investigations showed hypotonic hyponatremia (serum sodium: 109 mEq/L). Other causes were excluded, and prompt treatment with hypertonic saline and fluid restriction was initiated, resulting in full recovery. Acute water intoxication causing dilutional hyponatremia is a rare but preventable complication requiring awareness and proper hydration guidance, especially in the elderly.
Authors
- Zainab Mehdi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8920-3300)
- Amit Mishra
- Hanny C Japhina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3478-6362)
Institutions
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Indian Journal of Urology
- Published
- 2026-09-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.4103/iju.iju_216_26
- Primary Topic
- Pathogenesis and Treatment of Hiccups
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00