Potassium abnormalities in current clinical practice: frequency, causes, severity and management

Medical Principles and Practice : International Journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
Eylem EliacikMustafa Arici

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the prevalence and etiology of potassium abnormalities (hypokalemia and hyperkalemia) and management approaches for hospitalized patients. Over a 4-month period, all hospitalized patients at Hacettepe University Medical Faculty Hospitals who underwent at least one measurement of serum potassium during hospitalization were included. Data on serum levels of electrolytes, demographic characteristics, cause(s) of hospitalization, medications, etiology of potassium abnormality and treatment approaches were obtained from the hospital records. Of the 9,045 hospitalized patients, 1,265 (14.0%) had a serum potassium abnormality; 604 (6.7%) patients had hypokalemia and 661 (7.30%) had hyperkalemia. In the hypokalemic patients, the most important reasons were gastrointestinal losses in 555 (91.8%) patients and renal losses in 252 (41.7%) patients. The most frequent treatment strategies were correcting the underlying cause and replacing the potassium deficit. Of the 604 hypokalemic patients, 319 (52.8%) were normokalemic at hospital discharge. The most common reason for hyperkalemia was treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers in 228 (34.4%) patients, followed by renal failure in 191 (28.8%). Two...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 26, 2016·The Journal of Clinical Hypertension·Suhai KangHuiyi Ye
Jun 24, 2017·QJM : Monthly Journal of the Association of Physicians·W CheungpasitpornS B Erickson
Jan 31, 2019·American Journal of Health-system Pharmacy : AJHP : Official Journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists·Yan LiAlmut G Winterstein
Sep 4, 2019·Critical Pathways in Cardiology·Cassandra D Benge, Abigail T Burka
Dec 31, 2016·International Urology and Nephrology·S BardakA Kıykım
Feb 23, 2020·Calcified Tissue International·Laura Anna Maria SchiaraPatrizia D'Amelio
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Mar 1, 2021·Clinical Nutrition : Official Journal of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition·Enrico FiaccadoriCristina Cuerda

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SPSS
Statistical Package for Social Sciences

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