Citation

Zyoud SH, Awang R, Syed Sulaiman SA, Al-Jabi SW. Hum. Exp. Toxicol. 2010; 29(9): 773-778.

Affiliation

WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Information, National Poison Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. saedzyoud@najah.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0960327110361759

PMID

20144962

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hypokalemia is not an isolated disease but an associated finding in a number of different diseases. It is also a commonly neglected condition among patients with acute acetaminophen overdose. OBJECTIVES: This study intended to determine the prevalence of hypokalemia and its clinical correlates in acute psychiatric illness among hypokalemic and normokalemic patients after acetaminophen overdose. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of hospital admissions for acute acetaminophen overdose conducted over a period of 5 years from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008. Demographic data and different types of psychiatric illness were compared between hypokalemic and normokalemic patients. Hypokalemia was predefined by a serum concentration <3.5 mmol/L. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 15 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty patients out of 305 admissions were studied. Hypokalemia was found in 63.6% of patients with a higher prevalence in the presence of psychiatric illness (67.7%). Hypokalemic patients were significantly associated with the presence of major depression (p = .04), adjustment disorder (p < .001), anxiety (p = .01), and suicidal attempts (p = .04). CONCLUSION: Hypokalemia was common among patients with psychiatric illness and acute acetaminophen overdose.

Language: en