A two-year-old girl with no underlying medical conditions has been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after developing a complication of influenza.
The girl had received her routine vaccinations, but had not been vaccinated against the flu.
The girl had a fever and repeated vomiting at home for about a day. When she began having seizures, she was taken to the pediatric emergency department at Shaare Zedek, where she later tested positive for influenza. Due to a lack of appetite, prior to admission the girl had eaten little, instead drinking large amounts of water.
"The girl was diagnosed with SIADH, a condition in which the body releases too much antidiuretic hormone, also known as ADH, or the hormone is excessively active. The job of this hormone is to regulate how much water the kidneys return to the body," said Dr. Giora Weiser, director of the pediatric emergency department at Shaare Zedek, who treated the girl with resident physician Dr. Harel Monish.
"In a situation like this, when too much of the hormone is released, the kidneys reabsorb more water instead of excreting it in the urine, causing the amount of water in the body rises relative to the amount of sodium, and leading to hyponatremia, or low blood sodium. This can cause seizures, a serious symptom of the syndrome that can be life-threatening without treatment. Specifically in these cases, it is important to restrict fluid intake to reduce excess water in the body, obviously, once other causes such as dehydration have been ruled out," Dr. Weiser said.
"The girl's condition is stable, and she is improving," said Dr. Amir Zilkha, a senior physician in the pediatric intensive care unit at Shaare Zedek. "SIADH syndrome is a complication of influenza that we see from time to time, but a case as severe as hers is rare. Keeping up with routine vaccinations is important, and the need to get a seasonal flu shot every year is challenging, but it is the best protection against influenza, which can cause severe damage that may even be life-threatening."
Shaare Zedek Medical Center currently has 10 patients hospitalized with influenza, three of them in intensive care, representing the highest number of flu hospitalizations so far this season.