Rhabdomyolysis Complicated with Hyponatremia Due to Water Intoxication and Severe Aspiration Pneumonia: Description of a Patient with Chronic Schizophrenia and Literature Review.

The article focuses on a complex case of severe acute hyponatremia caused by water intoxication in a 49-year-old man with chronic schizophrenia, complicated by rhabdomyolysis and severe aspiration pneumonia. The patient's hyponatremia resulted from compulsive water intake triggered by esophageal stricture, leading to seizures, respiratory failure, and elevated creatine kinase levels indicative of rhabdomyolysis. Treatment involved careful correction of sodium levels to avoid cerebral edema and central pontine myelinolysis, alongside antimicrobial therapy for pneumonia, with close monitoring of serum sodium and creatine kinase. The report highlights the challenges in managing hyponatremia in psychiatric patients, the risk of rhabdomyolysis associated with both hyponatremia and antipsychotic polypharmacy, and the importance of vigilant clinical and laboratory monitoring during treatment.