Podcast | Practice of Medicine | December 1, 2021

Nephrology for the Non-Nephrologist: Hyponatremia

In part five of this multipart podcast series, Dr. Benjamin Broome, a nephrologist with Nephrology Associates in Birmingham, Alabama, is joined by Drs. Elizabeth Edwards and Donald DiPette, both of whom are on faculty in the department of internal medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia to discuss hyponatremia, which occurs when the sodium level in the blood is below normal. They will provide information on common causes of both acute and chronic hyponatremia, as well as their similarities and differences. In addition, they will review the management of, and treatment modalities for, hyponatremia.

This podcast contains discussion of urea for the treatment of hyponatremia. The US Food and Drug Administration considers ureas as a substance in the GRAS (generally regarded as safe) category.

Earn CME Credit

Benjamin Broome, MD
Dr. Benjamin Broome  grew up in Savannah, Georgia. After high school he attended the University of Georgia where he was a member of the honors program and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Nutrition Science. He received a medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Broome then completed his Internal Medicine training with Baptist Health Systems in Birmingham prior to attending Vanderbilt University for his Nephrology fellowship. Dr. Broome is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, a member of the American Society of Nephrology and the Renal Physicians Association.

Elizabeth Edwards, MD
Dr. Elizabeth W. Edwards served as Chief Resident of Internal Medicine during her residency at the University of South Carolina and joined the faculty after completion of her training. She sees patients in both the faculty practice and the residents’ practice and serves as the residency program’s associate program director.  She also co-directs the hypertension specialty clinic and recently completed editing a textbook on hypertension. Dr. Edwards completed her Master in International Business Studies in 1994 and went on to work at Computer Sciences Corporation from 1995 to 2005 where she held the title of Director of Property and Casualty Outsourcing Program Management.  

Donald DiPette, MD, FACP, FAHA
Dr. DiPette is the Health Sciences Distinguished Professor and previous Dean of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina.

Disclosure Information
Drs. Broome, Edwards, and DiPette have no financial relationships or conflicts of interest to disclose.

References and Resources

  1. Burst V. Etiology and Epidemiology of Hyponatremia. Front Horm Res. 2019;52:24-35. doi: 10.1159/000493234. 
  2. Hoorn EJ, Zietse R. Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyponatremia: Compilation of the Guidelines. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 May;28(5):1340-1349. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2016101139.
  3. National Kidney Foundation