title: Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function in patients with hypokalemia.
abstract: Based on clinical and experimental data, a cardiomyopathic syndrome has been attributed to chronic hypokalemia. Analysis of the published data indicates the presence of numerous other complicating factors which might have compromised cardiac function. Echocardiographic studies on 5 children with lifelong (Bartter's syndrome, 3 cases; congenital renal alkalosis, 1 case) or prolonged (primary hyperaldosteronism, 1 case) hypokalemia did not reveal any abnormalities of myocardial performance, thus questioning the premise that hypokalemia causes cardiomyopathy.
mesh_terms: D001477:Bartter Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction