Minor Head Injury Might Cause Treatable Dementia Due to Severe Hyponatremia.

OBJECTIVE: There are several conditions of treatable dementia. Among these, hyponatremia can cause transitory modification of cognitive functions.

Design: We treated a patient with cognitive decline after minor head injury who developed severe hyponatremia due to central salt wasting syndrome (CSWS).

Results: Head injuries can interfere with the normal neuroendocrine function of the hypothalamus and pituitary system, resulting in CSWS. A short-term infusion of isotonic saline solution might be useful in identifying CSWS.

Conclusion: Follow-up laboratory tests, including ones that test serum sodium leves, are recommended even in patients with minor head injury to diagnose potentially reversible conditions similar to dementia.