Which electrolyte disturbance is commonly seen in neonates due to immature renal handling?

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Multiple Choice

Which electrolyte disturbance is commonly seen in neonates due to immature renal handling?

Explanation:
Neonatal kidneys are immature in how they handle sodium and water, with limited ability to reabsorb sodium and to concentrate urine. This makes newborns prone to losing sodium in urine while retaining free water, which lowers the plasma sodium concentration. In practice, this leads to hyponatremia being a common electrolyte disturbance in newborns, especially if fluids provided are hypotonic or if there’s excess free water intake. Hyperkalemia or hypernatremia aren’t as consistently linked to this immature renal handling, which is why hyponatremia is the best choice here.

Neonatal kidneys are immature in how they handle sodium and water, with limited ability to reabsorb sodium and to concentrate urine. This makes newborns prone to losing sodium in urine while retaining free water, which lowers the plasma sodium concentration. In practice, this leads to hyponatremia being a common electrolyte disturbance in newborns, especially if fluids provided are hypotonic or if there’s excess free water intake. Hyperkalemia or hypernatremia aren’t as consistently linked to this immature renal handling, which is why hyponatremia is the best choice here.

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