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Case Reports
. 2022 Sep 23:43:39.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2022.43.39.36701. eCollection 2022.

Hyponatremia and stroke mimic: a case report

Pharan Djimafo Tiwet  1 , Isabelle Tchounkeu Kuigwa  2 , Reine Sandrine Mendeuka  2 , Marie-Dominique Gazagnes  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Hyponatremia and stroke mimic: a case report

Pharan Djimafo Tiwet et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

The differential diagnosis of acute stroke is often a challenge for the emergency care staff. In medical literature, about 30% of patients presenting in an emergency department with suspected stroke at initial assessment are actually stroke mimic. We report here a case of a 61-year-old woman who got admitted at the emergency service for an acute stroke that was actually a symptomatic hyponatremia due to a Schwartz-Bartter syndrome associated with an undiagnosed breast cancer. It is very important to quickly identify and manage patients presenting with a high probability of acute stroke even though many other pathological conditions can present with the same clinical onset. Electrolyte disturbances are one of those stroke mimic conditions that are usually reversible if properly identified and treated on time.

Keywords: Hyponatremia; Schwartz-Bartter syndrome; acute stroke; case report; stroke mimic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
normal axial brain MRI serie 7 T2 Flair
Figure 2
Figure 2
diagnosis of hyponatremia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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