Frequency of Hyponatremia and Hypokalemia in Children with Acute Diarrhea

Objective: To determine the frequency of sodium and potassium abnormalities (hyponatremia and hypokalemia) in children presented with acute diarrhea. Study Design: Prospective Study Place and Duration: Study was conducted at Pediatric department of North West General Hospital, Peshawar during the period from July 2020 to June 2021 (for one Year). Methodology: One hundred and thirty patients of both genders having age upto 5 years presented with acute diarrhea were enrolled in this study. Clinical examination was done after taking written informed consent from patients parents/guardians. Blood sample was taken and sent to laboratory to examine sodium and potassium levels. Data was analyzed by SPSS 24.0. Results: There were 72 (55.38%) males while 58 (44.62%) patients were females with mean age 2.38±1.52 years. Mean disease duration was 3.54±1.33 days. Hyponatremia was found in 40 (30.77%) patients and hypokalemia was observed in 52 (40%) patients. Conclusion: Sodium and potassium abnormalities are very common in children with acute diarrhea and can lead to high rate of morbidity and mortality. We concluded that frequency of hyponatremia and hypokalemia were very high in children with acute diarrhea. Keywords: Acute Diarrhea, Hyponatremia, Hypokalemia, Children