Abstract
Q1 How does your knowledge of potassium homeostasis help in the diagnosis and management of hyperkalaemia?
The diagram we used in Chap. 1 to describe potassium homeostasis can also be used to illustrate the pathophysiology of hyperkalaemia. Dietary potassium is of the order 50–100 mmol/day. Most of this is stored intracellularly. Excretion is predominantly renal. Acute and chronic kidney injury are important causes of hyperkalaemia as is the acidosis of acute illness. Figure 18.1 also suggests three ways in which potassium may be driven back into cells: by insulin, by beta agonists such as salbutamol and by correction of acidosis.
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Further Reading
Alfonzo A et al. Clinical Practice Guidelines. Treatment of acute hyperkaleaemia in adults. UK Renal Association, 2014. www.renal.org/guidelines/modules/treatment-of-acute-hyperkalaemia-in-adults.
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Findlay, M., Isles, C. (2015). Hyperkalaemia. In: Clinical Companion in Nephrology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14868-7_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14868-7_18
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