Serum potassium in chronic kidney disease: prevalence, patient characteristics and clinical outcomes

Background & aims Abnormalities in serum potassium are a well-known complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but little is known about their impact on inpatient outcomes. To better understand the role of dyskalaemia in hospital in-patients, we assessed the epidemiology of potassium disorders among CKD patients, and the association between admission potassium and inpatient mortality or intensive care unit (ICU) requirement. Methods This retrospective hospital-based cohort study (n = 11 156) included patients with eGFR Results Hyperkalaemia and hypokalaemia were present in 6.86% and 2.94% of hospital admissions, respectively. In multivariate regression male sex, lower eGFR, diabetes and cardiac failure were associated with higher odds of hyperkalaemia. Thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics, infectious disease and endocrine pathology were associated with higher odds of hypokalaemia. A U-shaped association was noted between potassium and inpatient mortality. Potassium Conclusion Derangements in potassium frequently occur in CKD inpatients and are independently associated with higher mortality and ICU requirement. Further studies are required to determine whether interventions to maintain normokalaemia improve outcomes in this population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.