Association of hyperkalaemia with electrocardiographic changes at a tertiary centre in South Africa
Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Association of hyperkalaemia with electrocardiographic changes at a tertiary centre in South Africa | |
| Creator | Ssenabulya, Francis R. Chothia, Mogamat-Yazied | |
| Description | Background: Hyperkalaemia is a common electrolyte disorder in hospitalised patients and is associated with fatal cardiac arrhythmias. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a paucity of data regarding the prevalence and type of electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in patients who have hyperkalaemia.Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Tygerberg Hospital over a one-year period in 2019. Adult patients with hyperkalaemia of ≥ 5.5 mmol/L and associated ECG changes 3 h before or after documented laboratory hyperkalaemia were included. Spearman correlation coefficients and multilinear regression were used to identify correlations and associations, respectively, between serum potassium concentrations ([K+]) and various ECG changes.Results: Of 344 patients who had hyperkalaemia and an associated ECG, 55% had ECG changes. These patients were older (60 years vs. 53 years, p = 0.01), male (57% vs. 43%, p 0.01) and had more frequent kidney disease (88% vs. 78%, p = 0.02). Statistically significant differences in all ECG measurements were present, except for T wave amplitude. The most frequent ECG alterations were p-wave abnormalities (52%) and peaked T waves (45%). A weak-to-moderate correlation was present for the number of ECG changes and the [K+]. The QRS duration (β: 0.0076, p 0.001), PR interval (β: 0.0039, p 0.001) and p wave duration (β: –0.0056, p 0.01) were associated with the [K+].Conclusion: The overall prevalence of ECG changes due to hyperkalaemia was only 55%.Contribution: It is essential for clinicians to recognise that the ECG changes during hyperkalaemia may have limited screening value. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2025-04-30 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/jcmsa.v3i1.110 | |
| Source | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa; Vol 3, No 1 (2025); 6 pages 2960-110X 3105-4331 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/110/542
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/110/543
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/110/544
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/110/545
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