HYPERKALEMIA IN DIABETES - PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATIONS

Hyperkalaemia is associated with diabetes, but there are no recent rep orts of its prevalence and associations. Serum potassium concentration s were measured in all 1764 patients attending a diabetic clinic over a 12-month period and found to be > 5.0 mmol/l in 270 (15%), and > 5.4 mmol/l in 67 (4%). There was no other evident cause of hyperkalaemia in 41 of these 67 patients. These data serve to highlight the risk of dangerous hyperkalaemia in diabetic patients, particularly with concur rent administration of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and po tassium-sparing diuretics.