SIADH vs Cerebral Salt Wasting
Certain illnesses can be quite scary and harmful in the long term especially when they provoke unwanted signs and symptoms.
SIADH and cerebral salt wasting are two diseases that can be life threatening. These two diseases can also be interchanged because they possess the same signs and symptoms in the patients involved.
SIADH means “symptom of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone hypersecretion.” The “ADH” or “antidiuretic hormone” keeps the release of water in the kidneys. Thus, it retains the water in the body. When there is too much water in the body, the sodium in the body becomes diluted. Thus, the number one manifestation is hyponatremia or a low amount of sodium circulating in the blood. If there is low sodium circulating in the body, there will be a profound effect in consciousness. Thus, there will be dizziness, headache, confusion, and comatose. Nausea and vomiting also occurs.
Cerebral salt wasting, on the other hand, isn’t a common endocrine disease that manifests dehydration and hyponatremia. This is caused by brain trauma, tumors, injury, or even hematoma that’s surrounding the brain. The manifestation is also the same as those of SIADH with dehydration, too much urination and urine output which is about 2.5 liters for 24 hours, extreme thirst, and an extreme craving for salty food.
For the physician to diagnose SIADH, sodium will be tested in the blood. If the values are low, then there is hyponatremia. Then additional findings, such as low BUN, low uric acid, low albumin and normal serum creatinine can confirm SIADH. The cause of SIADH is different from cerebral salt wasting. The cause can be infections, such as pneumonia, meningitis; cancers, such as lung cancer; hypothyroidism, and certain medicines, such as Carbamazepine and Clofibrate.
Since the cause of cerebral salt wasting is mainly from the brain, it can be differentiated from SIADH via the urine concentration. In cerebral salt wasting, sodium urine concentration is lower than 100 meq/liters while SIADH has a greater value.
Treatment of SIADH is by fluid restriction, intravenous saline, and certain medications. Treatment of cerebral salt wasting is through frequent hydration to prevent dehydration plus medications.
Summary:
1.SIADH is caused by infections and cancers while cerebral salt wasting is caused by brain trauma, injury, hematoma, and tumors all occurring in the brain.
2.SIADH has a greater sodium urine concentration than cerebral salt wasting.
3.Management of SIADH is by fluid restriction while cerebral wasting is by frequent hydration.
4.Both manifest hyponatremia.