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Low Potassium Levels Soon After a Stroke Linked to Poor Outcome: Presented at AAN

By Jill Stein
Special to DG News

DENVER, CO -- April 18, 2002 -- Lower concentrations of serum potassium soon after a stroke appears to be associated with poor functional outcome, according to results announced here yesterday at the 54^th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

Dr. Feng Hua, with the State University of New York at Buffalo, and associates reviewed the hospital charts of all 66 patients who were initially admitted to the neurology service of the Buffalo General Hospital for management of acute cerebral infarction and who were subsequently transferred to the rehabilitative medicine service. Cerebral infarction was confirmed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

Information was gathered on medical history (hypertension, diabetes, prior stroke) and medication profile (diuretics), serum potassium concentration of the first blood specimen taken for biochemical assay, and functional status at the time of discharge from the rehabilitative medicine service, measured by the Functional Independence Measure score. The researchers used the Chi-square test and logistic regression to determine if serum potassium levels play a role in functional status and long-term outcome post-stroke.

A higher proportion of patients whose initial serum potassium concentrations was more than 4.0 mEq/L had favorable functional outcomes than among patients whose initial potassium level was 4.0 mEq/L or less (81 percent versus 41 percent; p=0.001). Through logistic regression, the researchers found that a serum potassium level of 4.0 mEq or less at initial evaluation was an independent risk factor for poor long-term outcome (adjusted risk ratio 6.1, 95 percent confidence interval, 2.0-18.3, p=0.0007).

Dr. Hua said the results should be interpreted with caution since the study included a small number of patients. "For this reason, the effect of infarct volume, infarct location, and initial stroke severity could not be studied in a meaningful manner," she explained.

If the findings are confirmed, she said, studies assessing the efficacy of potassium supplements in the early post-stroke period may be the next step.

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