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Diagnosis and investigation in primary care

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Diagnosis and investigation in primary care:

  • note that if potassium is <= 2.5 mmol/L urgent treatment (in a secondary care setting is required)
    • look for warning signs or symptoms
    • weakness or palpitations
    • changes on electrocardiography (ECG)
    • severe hypokalemia (less than 2.5 mEq per L [2.5 mmol per L])
    • rapid-onset hypokalaemia
    • underlying heart disease or cirrhosis (1)

In the absence of any evidence which warrants immediate treatment, a careful history and physical examination should be carried out:

  • history
    • always check for diuretics in the drug history - commonest single cause of hypokalaemia
    • if not on diuretics then hypokalaemia suggests potassium loss, consider
      • faecal loss: chronic diarrhoea e.g. - colitis, laxative abuse
      • vomit - due to any cause
      • skin e.g. burns, excessive sweating
    • history of excessive alcohol intake
    • any process which may stimulates uptake of potassium from the extracellular fluid into cells
      • intravenous insulin for treatment of hyperglycaemia (in particular, diabetic ketoacidosis)
      • stimulation of sympathetic β2 receptors (for example, with high dose salbutamol)
      • verapamil overdose
      • after vitamin B12 or folate replacement in megaloblastic anaemia
    • a history of muscle weakness (typically after strenuous exercise or a large carbohydrate meal) and severe hypokalaemia may indicate:
      • hypokalaemic periodic paralysis or
      • thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (if symptoms of thyrotoxicosis are also present, particularly in Asian men)
  • physical examination
    • there may be flaccid muscle weakness and signs of arrhythmia
    • check for high blood pressure - hypokalaemia associated with raised blood pressure may indicate primary hyperaldosteronism or Cushing’s syndrome
    • presence of Kussmaul breathing, hypotension and signs of dehydration in a diabetic patient may suggest diabetic ketoacidosis (1,2,3)

Laboratory investigations

  • in mild hypokalaemia with an obvious cause
    • monitor serum potassium concentration
  • in moderate and severe hypokalaemia and when the cause is unclear
    • initial basic laboratory investigations should include -
    • serum electrolytes
    • serum magnesium
      • hypomagnesaemia often coexists with hypokalaemia and needs to be corrected for successful treatment of hypokalaemia
    • serum bicarbonate
      • to check for acid-base disturbances
    • serum glucose
    • urine potassium
      • to identify whether hypokalaemia is due to renal potassium loss
      • can be assessed by
        • a spot urine potassium
        • 24 hour urine potassium
        • transtubular potassium gradient
        • urine potassium:creatinine ratio (KCR)
  • if spurious hypokalaemia is suspected
    • send a fresh blood sample to the laboratory (rapidly following venepuncture) for reanalysis of potassium (1)
  • persistent hypokalaemia of unknown cause will require further investigation and referral to secondary care. Some investigations may be requested from primary care such as:
    • Urine studies
    • hypokalaemia
    • in Conn's syndrome, sodium may be mildly elevated or normal metabolic alkalosis
    • plasma renin and aldosterone - low renin and high aldosterone (raised aldosterone: renin ratio) suggests primary hyperaldosteronism - note that a normal or high renin may occur secondary to compensatory mechanisms
      • assess the effect of posture on renin, aldosterone and cortisol (measure at 9am lying and at noon standing) - this provides further information as to the cause of primary hyperaldosteronism
        • if reduced aldosterone and reduced cortisol on standing then ACTH dependent cause e.g. adrenocortical adenoma (Conn's syndrome)
        • if increased aldosterone and reduced cortisol then angiotensin-II dependent cause e.g. bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia
    • cortisol - a morning plasma cortisol may be raised suggesting Cushing's syndrome
    • thyroid function tests (if thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is suspected) - serum thyroid stimulating hormone and free thyroxine)
  • ECG (1,2)
  • imaging of the adrenal glands (CT or MRI) if there is suspicion of mineralocorticoid, glucocorticoid or catecholamine excess (4)
  • MRI of the pituitary gland (to exclude Cushing's disease) (4)

Reference:


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