Li Ru, Wu Baofeng, Yang Xifeng, Liu Botao, Zhang Jian, Li Mengnan, Zhang Yi, Qiao Ying, Liu Yunfeng
Department of Endocrinology, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
First Clinical Medical College, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Oct 21;11:1366545. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1366545. eCollection 2024.
Hypokalemia is a common electrolyte disorder observed in patients afflicted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). When COVID-19 is accompanied by pulmonary infection, chest computed tomography (CT) is the preferred diagnostic modality. This study aimed to explore the relationship between CT semi-quantitative score reflecting the degree of pulmonary infection and hypokalemia from COVID-19 patients.
A single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between December 2022 and January 2023 who underwent chest CT scans upon admission revealing typical signs. These patients were categorized into two groups based on their blood potassium levels: the normokalemia group and the hypokalemia group. Medical history, symptoms, vital signs, laboratory data, and CT severity score were compared. Binary regression analysis was employed to identify risk factors associated with hypokalemia in COVID-19 patients with pulmonary infection.
A total of 288 COVID-19 patients with pulmonary infection were enrolled in the study, of which 68 (23.6%) patients had hypokalemia. The CT severity score was found to be higher in the hypokalemia group compared to the normokalemia group [4.0 (3.0-5.0) vs. 3.0 (2.0-4.0), = 0.001]. The result of binary logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for sex, vomiting, sodium, and using potassium-excretion diuretics, higher CT severity score was identified as an independent risk factor for hypokalemia (OR = 1.229, 95% CI = 1.077-1.403, = 0.002).
In this cohort of patients, semi-quantitative CT score reflecting the degree of pulmonary infection may serve as a risk factor of hypokalemia in COVID-19 patients.
低钾血症是2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）患者中常见的电解质紊乱。当COVID-19伴有肺部感染时，胸部计算机断层扫描（CT）是首选的诊断方式。本研究旨在探讨反映COVID-19患者肺部感染程度的CT半定量评分与低钾血症之间的关系。
进行了一项单中心横断面研究，调查2022年12月至2023年1月期间诊断为COVID-19且入院时胸部CT扫描显示典型征象的患者。这些患者根据血钾水平分为两组：血钾正常组和低钾血症组。比较病史、症状、生命体征、实验室数据和CT严重程度评分。采用二元回归分析确定COVID-19肺部感染患者低钾血症的相关危险因素。
本研究共纳入288例COVID-19肺部感染患者，其中68例（23.6%）患者存在低钾血症。发现低钾血症组的CT严重程度评分高于血钾正常组[4.0（3.0-5.0）对3.0（2.0-4.0），P=0.001]。二元逻辑回归分析结果显示，在调整性别、呕吐、钠和使用排钾利尿剂后，较高的CT严重程度评分被确定为低钾血症的独立危险因素（OR=1.229，95%CI=1.077-1.403，P=0.002）。
在这组患者中，反映肺部感染程度的CT半定量评分可能是COVID-19患者低钾血症的危险因素。
