title: Hypokalaemia: common things occur commonly - a retrospective survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define the causes of hypokalaemia in an unselected adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective survey of biochemistry database.
  
  
  METHODS
  District general hospital in southwest Scotland.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 187,704 measurements of urea and electrolytes in 2010. Sixty-one patients had serum potassium <2.5 mmol/L on at least one occasion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average age of the patients was 71 (range 33-99) years. The most common causes were diarrhoea and/or vomiting (51% of cases), diuretic therapy (47%), nutritional causes including poor dietary intake, re-feeding syndrome and inadequate potassium supplementation when patients were nil by mouth (37%). In 25% of patients a transient and profound fall in serum potassium appeared to coincide with their acute illness. Acute alcohol intoxication and/or alcohol withdrawal were prominent features in 11% of patients. More than one cause was commonly present. There were no cases of Bartter's, Gitelman's or Liddle's syndromes or of hypokalaemic periodic paralysis in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe hypokalaemia <2.5 mmol/L occurs at least once a week in a district general hospital with a catchment population of around 150,000, suggesting there may be around 300 cases a week in the UK (population around 50,000,000). Diuretics, vomiting and diarrhoea are commonly implicated as are nutritional causes, acute illness and alcohol. Bartter's, Gitelman's, Liddle's syndrome and hypokalaemic period paralysis are all extremely uncommon.
authors: Renal Unit and Department of Biochemistry, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary ,  Dumfries DG1 4AP ,  UK.
authors: Alasdair
authors: A
authors: Reid
authors: Gareth
authors: G
authors: Jones
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Isles