Transient Hyperkalemia Following Treatment of Chronic Hypokalemia: A Case Report and Review of Distal Tubule Physiology

Hypokalemia is a relatively common electrolyte disorder usually resulting from gastrointestinal wasting. Transient hyperkalemia in those treated for hypokalemia has been previously described to occur in 16% of hospitalized patients. The majority of those patients had acute, hospital-acquired hypokalemia. Here, we report a case of a young man with alcohol use disorder and chronic hypokalemia who was hospitalized for muscle weakness, abdominal pain, and intractable emesis. His potassium was 2.5 mEq/L on the day of admission. Four days later, with a creatinine at baseline (0.9 mg/dL), potassium abruptly increased to 6.7 mEq/L. He did not have evidence of hyperaldosteronism. In cases of chronic hypokalemia, we propose that the adaptive mechanisms of the distal tubule with total body potassium deficits require time to revert back to a nonactive state and that transient hyperkalemia may be observed during these “refractory” periods during which potassium supplementation is continued. The time required for disassembly of with no lysine kinases following resolution of hypokalemia is unknown. Hyperkalemia is an important consideration when treating patients with chronic hypokalemia.