ATLANTA: An analysis of admissions to two hospitals has found that 12 per cent of patients over the age of 65 who were admitted from skilled nursing homes had high sodium levels – a clear sign of dehydration.
The figure for patients who lived at home was just one per cent. High sodium levels and dehydration – known as hypernatraemia – can have severe consequences, particularly for elderly patients, putting them at greater risk of heart attacks and pneumonia.
Patients who arrive at hospital dehydrated are also more likely to die during their stay, previous studies have shown…