The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (
SIADH) is defined as hyponatremia with inappropriately concentrated urine in a euvolemic patient.
SIADH is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical conditions. In the hospital,
hyponatremia carries significant mortality with a prolonged duration of inpatient stay. It is imperative that the underlying cause is appropriately investigated and such patients are closely monitored. This article presents a case of difficult-to-treat
hyponatremia secondary to
SIADH in a patient with a rare isolated central nervous system (CNS) relapse from a
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). A relapse, particularly affecting the CNS, carries a poor prognosis. The patient was started on
dexamethasone and offered treatment with
methotrexate but declined. The
hyponatremia failed to respond to fluid restriction and
demeclocycline. The
hyponatremia responded to a single dose of
tolvaptan. Clinicians should have a low index of suspicion for a relapse of
lymphoma as a cause of difficult to treat
hyponatremia in any patient who has previously had remission from
lymphoma treatment.