ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL AND HYPOKALAEMIA: A CASE REPORT

A case is presented where a 25-year-old man developed a serious hypokalaemia (K+ 2.2 mmol/l) during alcohol withdrawal, despite intravenous saline treatment and normal feeding. As hypokalaemia can be symptom-free, we want to draw attention to the combination of vomiting, malnutrition and alcohol wit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) 2000-03, Vol.35 (2), p.188-189
Main Authors: Burin, M. R. M. J., Cook, C. C. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning
Biological and medical sciences
Ethanol - adverse effects
Humans
Hypokalemia - chemically induced
Hypokalemia - drug therapy
Male
Medical sciences
Potassium Chloride - therapeutic use
Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - diagnosis
Toxicology
Treatment Outcome
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A case is presented where a 25-year-old man developed a serious hypokalaemia (K+ 2.2 mmol/l) during alcohol withdrawal, despite intravenous saline treatment and normal feeding. As hypokalaemia can be symptom-free, we want to draw attention to the combination of vomiting, malnutrition and alcohol withdrawal, as these can cause lethal complications. We therefore recommend that potassium serum level should be routinely monitored during alcohol withdrawal, even when this is being managed in the community.
ISSN:0735-0414
1464-3502
1464-3502
DOI:10.1093/alcalc/35.2.188