MedicosNotes.com

A site for medical students - Practical,Theory,Osce Notes

Clinical features of hypokalemia

Prominent effects of hypokalemia is on heart, skeletal, and intestinal muscle cells.
Effect of hypokalemia on the heart
Hypokalemia is a major risk factor for both ventricular and atrial arrhythmias.
It predisposes to digoxin toxicity 
Electrocardiographic changes in hypokalemia are the following.
Broad flat T waves, 
ST depression, 
QT prolongation
These finding are most marked when serum K + is <2.7 mmol/L.

 Effect of hypokalemia on skeletal muscle
Hypokalemia will results in hyperpolarization of skeletal muscle, hence impairing the capacity to depolarize and contract the skeletal muscle which results in weakness and even paralysis . Hypokalemia can causes skeletal myopathy and predisposes to rhabdomyolysis.

Effect on intestinal smooth muscle
The paralytic effects of hypokalemia on smooth muscle of intestine  may result in intestinal ileus.

The functional effects of hypokalemia on the kidney include
Na + -Cl – and HCO 3 - retention
Polyuria 
Phosphaturia 
Hypocitraturia
Activation of renal ammoniagenesis. 
Retention of bicarbonate and change in other acid-base effects of hypokalemia can predispose to metabolic alkalosis.Polyuria is due to both polydipsia and an AVP-resistant renal concentrating
defect.

Hypokalemia can cause structural changes in the kidney which include 
1.Relatively specific vacuolizing injury to proximal renal tubular cells
2.Interstitial nephritis
3.Renal cysts. 
4.Hypokalemia can also predisposes to acute injury to kidney so lead to end-stage renal disease
This is commonly seen in those patients with long-standing hypokalemia due to laxative abuse or eating disorders

Hypokalemia and/or decreased dietary K +intake is implicated in the pathophysiology as well as in the progression of hypertension, heart failure, and stroke.If there is short-term K + restriction in healthy humans and in patients with essential hypertension that will lead to result in Na + -Cl – retention and hypertension. Correction of hypokalemia is required in hypertensive patients treated with diuretics, because correction of hypokalemia helps to control blood pressure.

Signs and Symptoms of Hypokalemia

  1. Alkalosis
  2. Shallow Respirations 
  3. Irritability
  4. Confusion and drowsiness
  5. Weakness and fatigue
  6. Arrhythmias
  7. Lethargy
  8. Thready Pulse
Labels: , , ,
: Posted at :

Labels

abdomen adrenal gland Anatomy anemia Anesthesia Anesthesiology angina antiplatelets AntiSeizureDrugs Aortic regurgitation Aortic stenosis apexbeat arrhthmia arthritis ascites Ataxia atrial septal defect Audio autoimmune disease Autoimmune_Encephalitis AutoimmuneEncephalitis Biochemistry blood supply of brain blood_supply built Capsular_Warning_Syndrome cardiac auscultation cardiac tamponade Cardiology CerebellarAtaxia cerebellum cerebral circulation cerebro vascular accident cerebrospinal cerebrovascular accident clinical sign clinical_examination ClinicalDecisionMaking ClinicalDiagnosis ClinicalMedicine ClinicalNeurology ClinicalTrials clubbing ClusterHeadache coarctation of aorta Cognitive_Decline collagen vascular disease congenital heart disease COPD coronary circulation coronaryheartdisease cranial nerve CranialNerves critical care CSF CSFLeak CTMyelography cvj Cyanotic heart disease dementia Dementia_Mimics dermatology diabetes DiagnosticAlgorithm dialysis Differential_Diagnosis DifferentialDiagnosi DifferentialDiagnosis diplopia drugs dwarfism Dyslipidemia ECG edema EEG electrolyte disturbance electrophysiology embryology EmergencyMedicine EMG endocrinology Epilepsy EpisodicAtaxia fever gastroenterology general examination Genetics graves disease hair examination headache HeadacheClassification heart heart failure heart murmurs heartmurmurs heartsounds height hematology hemo hemochromatosis hemolysis hemophilia hepatic encephalopathy hepatology higher mentalfunction history taking hyperkalemia hypertension HypertensionManagement hyperthyroidism hypokalemia ICHD3 iih infectious disease infective endocarditis insulin internal capsule Internal_Capsule InternalMedicine Intracerebral Hemorrhage involuntary movement iron defiency Ischemic_Stroke jaundice JME JVP kidney labour Laptop Lecture Notes LGI1_Antibodies Limbic_Encephalitis Limbic_System liver function test long qt lumbar puncture LumbarPuncture marfans syndrome MBBS MedicalEducation MedicalErrors MedicalHistory MedicalResearch MedicalStudentGuide medicine MedicosNotes Memory_Impairment Migraine MigraineCriteria MigraineMechanisms MigraineVsTTH mitral regurgitation mitral stenosis motor neuron disease MovementDisorders mrcp MRI musculoskeletal system myocardial infarction myotonia nail NASH Nausea nephrology Neurobiology neurocutaneous markers Neurogenetics Neuroimaging Neuroimmunology Neurological_Disorders neurology NeurologyFlowchart NeurologyGuidelines NeurologyNotes neuroophthalmology NICE Guidelines note notes notes. nuerology nutrition Nystagmus obesity obstestrics ocularmovements oedema oncology opening snap oral cavity osce osteoarthirtis p parasternal heave parathyroid gland patent ductus arteriosus Pathophysiology PatientSafety PDA PDF PediatricNeurology percussion Pharmacology Pharmacotherapy physiology PKD ClinicalCases plague posterior circulation stroke PPT practical note practical notes practicalnotes primaryheadache PrimaryHeadaches protein pulmonary medicine pulmonology pulse radiofemoraldelay Radiology rare manifestations reflex respiratory system rheumatic fever rheumatology seizure sepsis short stature skin spinal cord SpontaneousCSFLeak Squint strabismus stroke Stroke Management StrokeCare symptomatology Synovial joint tallstature temperature Therapeutics thrill thrombolysis thyroid thyrotoxicosis TIA TrigeminalSystem tuberculosis.infection urinary bladder usmle Valvular heart disease Video vitals monitoring vitals monitoring. VSD