Chicken-Soup Hypernatremia

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Abstract
To the Editor: Chicken soup is a well-recognized and widely used treatment for a variety of illnesses.1 An unusual complication of this agent, however, can be hypernatremia.The patient was a 75-year-old Chinese-American woman with diabetes mellitus controlled with tolbutamide. Two weeks before admission, treatment with hydrochlorothiazide, 25 mg per day, was initiated for hypertension. Two days and then 12 hours before admission, serum sodium concentrations were 123 and 121 mmol per liter, respectively, with serum glucose concentrations of 220 to 305 mg per deciliter. The patient was asked to stop taking the diuretic and to drink "salty broth." During . . .