Management of hyponatremia: providing treatment and avoiding harm.

Hyponatremia, in its most severe form, requires urgent infusion of hypertonic saline to correct cerebral edema. However, overly rapid correction of chronic hyponatremia can cause osmotic demyelination syndrome. The authors review the treatment of hyponatremia in order to provide clinicians with a sound approach in a variety of settings in which severity, symptoms, and underlying disease states influence therapy. Also discussed is the current role of vasopressin antagonists in treatment.