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

Area of Science:

• Internal Medicine
• Clinical Chemistry
• Nephrology

Background:

• Potassium imbalance, including hypokalemia and hyperkalemia, is a frequent complication in hospitalized patients.
• Understanding the prevalence and causes of these electrolyte disturbances is crucial for effective patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and etiological factors of potassium abnormalities in hospitalized individuals.
• To analyze the management strategies employed for hypokalemia and hyperkalemia.
• To assess the outcomes of potassium imbalance treatment upon hospital discharge.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 9,045 hospitalized patients over a 4-month period.
• Inclusion criteria: at least one serum potassium measurement during hospitalization.
• Data collection included electrolytes, demographics, hospitalization causes, medications, and treatment approaches from medical records.

Main Results:

• A total of 14.0% of patients exhibited potassium abnormalities (6.7% hypokalemia, 7.3% hyperkalemia).
• Hypokalemia causes included gastrointestinal and renal losses; hyperkalemia causes included renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blocker use and renal failure.
• Approximately half of patients treated for hypokalemia or hyperkalemia were discharged with ongoing dyskalemia.

Conclusions:

• Potassium imbalance is highly prevalent in hospitalized patients.
• Current management strategies result in a significant proportion of patients being discharged with unresolved dyskalemia.
• Further research into optimizing the management of electrolyte disturbances in hospitalized populations is warranted.