105 Risk factors for hypokalemia in adults in Bangladesh

Abstract

Objectives/Goals: A sample of 1,073 hypertensive adults in Bangladesh showed unusually high rates of hypokalemia. We analyzed sociodemographic and clinical factors – including age, sex, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, creatinine clearance, and urine protein concentration – to identify key predictors of hypokalemia. Methods/Study Population: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 1,073 hypertensive adults from the OK study in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2022–2023). Hypertension was defined as blood pressure >140/90 mmHg, and none of the participants were on any antihypertensive medication prior to the study. Hypokalemia was defined as serum potassium Results/Anticipated Results: The prevalence of hypokalemia was 21.5%. In univariate analysis, age (OR 0.975, 95% CI [0.959, 0.990], p  =  0.00189), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.02, 95% CI [1.00, 1.03], p  =  0.00568) and diastolic blood pressure (OR 1.03, 95% CI [1.01, 1.04], p  =  0.000272) were significantly associated with hypokalemia. In multivariate analysis, age (OR 0.961, 95% CI [0.936, 0.985], p  =  0.00167) remained significant, and creatinine clearance (OR 0.986, 95% CI [0.974, 0.999], p  =  0.0386) became significant. BMI, weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, sex, and urine protein concentration were not significant. Discussion/Significance of Impact: In the multivariate analysis, age and creatinine clearance was statistically significant; however, their effect sizes were small and unlikely to be clinically meaningful. The underlying reasons for the high prevalence of hypokalemia in this population remain unclear, warranting further investigation to identify contributing factors.