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Jackson Joe Yium, MD, FACP
Erlanger Medical Center Chattanooga, Tenn

JAMA. 1985;253(20):2959.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

In his article, Dr Blum¹ states that in his study of ten compulsive drinkers he found that episodes of hyponatremia developed only in heavy smokers. We have previously looked at this question of heavy smokers and hyponatremia and polydipsia.² In our study, we found that most of the patients who presented with hyponatremia and severe neurological dysfunction were heavy smokers. However, when compared with normonatremic schizophrenics, the rate of smoking was not different.

Many studies concerning hyponatremia and schizophrenia do show that these patients may have inappropriate release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) associated with their polydipsia. Factors that cause this release of ADH remain uncertain. Studies with ADH levels and their relationship to smoking would be helpful to settle this matter. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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