title: The prevalence and clinical relevance of hyperkalaemia in calves with neonatal diarrhoea.
abstract: One hundred and twenty-four calves with neonatal diarrhoea were investigated in order to assess the prevalence of hyperkalaemia and the associated clinical signs. Hyperkalaemia (potassium concentration >5.8mmol/L) was recognized in 42 (34%) calves and was more closely associated with dehydration than with decreases in base excess or venous blood pH. In 75 calves with normal blood concentrations of D-lactate (i.e. ⩽3.96mmol/L), K concentrations were moderately correlated with base excess values (r=-0.48, P<0.001). In contrast, no significant correlation was observed in 49 calves with elevated D-lactate. Only three hyperkalaemic calves had bradycardia and a weak positive correlation was found between heart rate and K concentrations (r=0.22, P=0.014). Ten of the 124 calves had cardiac arrhythmia and of these seven had hyperkalaemia indicating that cardiac arrhythmia had a low sensitivity (17%) but a high specificity (96%) as a predictor of hyperkalaemia. In a subset of 34 calves with base excess values ⩽-5mmol/L and D-lactate concentrations <5mmol/L (of which 22 had hyperkalaemia), changes in posture/ability to stand could be mainly explained by elevations of K concentrations (P<0.001) and to a lesser extent by increases in L-lactate concentrations (P=0.024). Skeletal muscle weakness due to hyperkalaemia alongside hypovolaemia may produce a clinical picture that is similar to that in calves with marked D-lactic acidosis. However, since reductions in the strength of the palpebral reflex are closely correlated with D-lactate concentrations, a prompt palpebral reflex can assist the clinical prediction of hyperkalaemia in calves presenting with a distinct impairment in their ability to stand (specificity 99%, sensitivity 29%).
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Ruminants with Ambulatory and Herd Health Services at the Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Sonnenstraße 16, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany. Florian.Trefz@campus.lmu.de
authors.forename: Florian M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Trefz
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lorch
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feist
authors.forename: Carola
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sauter-Louis
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lorenz
mesh_terms: D000137:Acid-Base Imbalance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*; D006947:Hyperkalemia / Q000662:veterinary*; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D011188:Potassium