Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients

Bright Amadi; Stephenson Lawson; Collins Amadi

doi:doi:10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients

Bright Amadi, Stephenson Lawson, Collins Amadi

Published in Biomedical Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 1)

Received: 14 January 2022 Accepted: 28 January 2022 Published: 16 February 2022

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Abstract

Background: Disorders of electrolytes balance, especially that of potassium, have frequently been documented among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, most of these reports have been documented among the western populations. Hence, this current study was aimed to evaluate the pattern of derangement in potassium balance and its correlation to other clinical and laboratory variables among Nigerians. Methods: Archived data of all eligible adult patients, who were managed at the Eleme treatment center in Port Harcourt, Nigeria following a positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled for this study. All relevant data of enrolled subjects were retrieved from the archived case notes, medical review charts, nurses’ charts, and laboratory-related records at initial presentation before any form of medical treatment by trained research assistants using well-structured data extraction forms. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics. Results: Hypokalemia was recorded in 323 (62.8%) subjects out of a total of 515 eligible subjects. Mild, moderate, and severe hypokalemia was recorded among 32 (9.9%), 219 (67.9%), and 72 (22.2%) subjects, respectively. The subjects with severe hypokalemic status were mostly males and also of older age and had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, CRP, D-dimer, neutrophil count, and higher proportions of those with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection but lower albumin levels, lymphocyte and platelet counts compared to those with mild and moderate hypokalemic status (p<0.05). Inverse relationships were established between plasma potassium status and systolic blood pressure, sodium, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, and neutrophil count. While a significant positive relationship was observed between plasma potassium status and plasma albumin, lymphocyte counts, platelet counts, and oxygen saturation among the hypokalemic subjects (p<0.05). Compare to mild and moderate hypokalemic status, severe hypokalemic status was associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 5.671; (95%CI: 4.467-7.365); p<0.001) and unfavorable clinical outcomes (OR: 7.863; (95%CI: 6.502-9.342); p<0.001) among the hypokalemic subjects. Conclusion: The present study findings suggest a high frequency of hypokalemia among subjects with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who are mostly males and of older age. The observed hypokalemia, especially the severe variant, was found in association with the severe infection and unfavorable clinical outcome. These findings should be considered during the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, further studies are recommended to verify the conclusions of the present study.

Published in	Biomedical Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
Page(s)	20-27
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2 Infection, COVID-19, Hypokalemia

References

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APA Style

Bright Amadi, Stephenson Lawson, Collins Amadi. (2022). Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients. Biomedical Sciences, 8(1), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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ACS Style

Bright Amadi; Stephenson Lawson; Collins Amadi. Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients. Biomed. Sci. 2022, 8(1), 20-27. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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AMA Style

Bright Amadi, Stephenson Lawson, Collins Amadi. Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients. Biomed Sci. 2022;8(1):20-27. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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@article{10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14,
  author = {Bright Amadi and Stephenson Lawson and Collins Amadi},
  title = {Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients},
  journal = {Biomedical Sciences},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {20-27},
  doi = {10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.bs.20220801.14},
  abstract = {Background: Disorders of electrolytes balance, especially that of potassium, have frequently been documented among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, most of these reports have been documented among the western populations. Hence, this current study was aimed to evaluate the pattern of derangement in potassium balance and its correlation to other clinical and laboratory variables among Nigerians. Methods: Archived data of all eligible adult patients, who were managed at the Eleme treatment center in Port Harcourt, Nigeria following a positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled for this study. All relevant data of enrolled subjects were retrieved from the archived case notes, medical review charts, nurses’ charts, and laboratory-related records at initial presentation before any form of medical treatment by trained research assistants using well-structured data extraction forms. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics. Results: Hypokalemia was recorded in 323 (62.8%) subjects out of a total of 515 eligible subjects. Mild, moderate, and severe hypokalemia was recorded among 32 (9.9%), 219 (67.9%), and 72 (22.2%) subjects, respectively. The subjects with severe hypokalemic status were mostly males and also of older age and had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, CRP, D-dimer, neutrophil count, and higher proportions of those with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection but lower albumin levels, lymphocyte and platelet counts compared to those with mild and moderate hypokalemic status (pConclusion: The present study findings suggest a high frequency of hypokalemia among subjects with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who are mostly males and of older age. The observed hypokalemia, especially the severe variant, was found in association with the severe infection and unfavorable clinical outcome. These findings should be considered during the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, further studies are recommended to verify the conclusions of the present study.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients
AU  - Bright Amadi
AU  - Stephenson Lawson
AU  - Collins Amadi
Y1  - 2022/02/16
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
T2  - Biomedical Sciences
JF  - Biomedical Sciences
JO  - Biomedical Sciences
SP  - 20
EP  - 27
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3932
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
AB  - Background: Disorders of electrolytes balance, especially that of potassium, have frequently been documented among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, most of these reports have been documented among the western populations. Hence, this current study was aimed to evaluate the pattern of derangement in potassium balance and its correlation to other clinical and laboratory variables among Nigerians. Methods: Archived data of all eligible adult patients, who were managed at the Eleme treatment center in Port Harcourt, Nigeria following a positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled for this study. All relevant data of enrolled subjects were retrieved from the archived case notes, medical review charts, nurses’ charts, and laboratory-related records at initial presentation before any form of medical treatment by trained research assistants using well-structured data extraction forms. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics. Results: Hypokalemia was recorded in 323 (62.8%) subjects out of a total of 515 eligible subjects. Mild, moderate, and severe hypokalemia was recorded among 32 (9.9%), 219 (67.9%), and 72 (22.2%) subjects, respectively. The subjects with severe hypokalemic status were mostly males and also of older age and had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, CRP, D-dimer, neutrophil count, and higher proportions of those with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection but lower albumin levels, lymphocyte and platelet counts compared to those with mild and moderate hypokalemic status (pConclusion: The present study findings suggest a high frequency of hypokalemia among subjects with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who are mostly males and of older age. The observed hypokalemia, especially the severe variant, was found in association with the severe infection and unfavorable clinical outcome. These findings should be considered during the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, further studies are recommended to verify the conclusions of the present study.
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Bright Amadi

Department of Chemical Pathology, Rivers State University/Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Stephenson Lawson

Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Rivers State University/Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Collins Amadi

Department of Chemical Pathology, Rivers State University/Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

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Bright Amadi, Stephenson Lawson, Collins Amadi. (2022). Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients. Biomedical Sciences, 8(1), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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ACS Style

Bright Amadi; Stephenson Lawson; Collins Amadi. Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients. Biomed. Sci. 2022, 8(1), 20-27. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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AMA Style

Bright Amadi, Stephenson Lawson, Collins Amadi. Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients. Biomed Sci. 2022;8(1):20-27. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14

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@article{10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14,
  author = {Bright Amadi and Stephenson Lawson and Collins Amadi},
  title = {Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients},
  journal = {Biomedical Sciences},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {20-27},
  doi = {10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.bs.20220801.14},
  abstract = {Background: Disorders of electrolytes balance, especially that of potassium, have frequently been documented among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, most of these reports have been documented among the western populations. Hence, this current study was aimed to evaluate the pattern of derangement in potassium balance and its correlation to other clinical and laboratory variables among Nigerians. Methods: Archived data of all eligible adult patients, who were managed at the Eleme treatment center in Port Harcourt, Nigeria following a positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled for this study. All relevant data of enrolled subjects were retrieved from the archived case notes, medical review charts, nurses’ charts, and laboratory-related records at initial presentation before any form of medical treatment by trained research assistants using well-structured data extraction forms. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics. Results: Hypokalemia was recorded in 323 (62.8%) subjects out of a total of 515 eligible subjects. Mild, moderate, and severe hypokalemia was recorded among 32 (9.9%), 219 (67.9%), and 72 (22.2%) subjects, respectively. The subjects with severe hypokalemic status were mostly males and also of older age and had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, CRP, D-dimer, neutrophil count, and higher proportions of those with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection but lower albumin levels, lymphocyte and platelet counts compared to those with mild and moderate hypokalemic status (pConclusion: The present study findings suggest a high frequency of hypokalemia among subjects with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who are mostly males and of older age. The observed hypokalemia, especially the severe variant, was found in association with the severe infection and unfavorable clinical outcome. These findings should be considered during the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, further studies are recommended to verify the conclusions of the present study.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Hypokalemia and Its Correlates Among Nigerian SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients
AU  - Bright Amadi
AU  - Stephenson Lawson
AU  - Collins Amadi
Y1  - 2022/02/16
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
T2  - Biomedical Sciences
JF  - Biomedical Sciences
JO  - Biomedical Sciences
SP  - 20
EP  - 27
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3932
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220801.14
AB  - Background: Disorders of electrolytes balance, especially that of potassium, have frequently been documented among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, most of these reports have been documented among the western populations. Hence, this current study was aimed to evaluate the pattern of derangement in potassium balance and its correlation to other clinical and laboratory variables among Nigerians. Methods: Archived data of all eligible adult patients, who were managed at the Eleme treatment center in Port Harcourt, Nigeria following a positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled for this study. All relevant data of enrolled subjects were retrieved from the archived case notes, medical review charts, nurses’ charts, and laboratory-related records at initial presentation before any form of medical treatment by trained research assistants using well-structured data extraction forms. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics. Results: Hypokalemia was recorded in 323 (62.8%) subjects out of a total of 515 eligible subjects. Mild, moderate, and severe hypokalemia was recorded among 32 (9.9%), 219 (67.9%), and 72 (22.2%) subjects, respectively. The subjects with severe hypokalemic status were mostly males and also of older age and had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, CRP, D-dimer, neutrophil count, and higher proportions of those with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection but lower albumin levels, lymphocyte and platelet counts compared to those with mild and moderate hypokalemic status (pConclusion: The present study findings suggest a high frequency of hypokalemia among subjects with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who are mostly males and of older age. The observed hypokalemia, especially the severe variant, was found in association with the severe infection and unfavorable clinical outcome. These findings should be considered during the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, further studies are recommended to verify the conclusions of the present study.
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
ER  -

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