Evaluation of Serum Potassium Level in Pediatric Gastroenteritis at Children – Welfare Teaching Hospital

Objective: To measure the incidence of the hypokalemia in children who are suffered from acute gastroentitis and to estimate their complications. Method: A prospective  clinical study, is enrolled (153) patients from 1st of January 2017 to  1st of December 2017, at the Children-Welfare Teaching Hospital and it is included the children from ( 1-5 years ) who are firstly admitted to the emergency department and then to the pediatric wards who were  suffered from acute gastroentitis and their serum potassium levels were below (3.5 mmol/l )and is excluded the children with a chronic diarrhea or a bloody diarrhea or with any nutritional diseases, like  marasmus disease, kwashiorkor  or  iron deficiency  anemia disease or parenteral  diarrhea, like ( pneumonia, UTI), or   their ages either below ( 1year )  or more than ( 5 years )  and the study depends on history and physical examination and serial serum potassium levels. Result: A total of (153) patients with acute gastroenteritis were included in a study, (91) male patients, (62) female patients with male to female ratio (1.4:1), the majority of the patients were from urban areas. In this study, 61(39%) of patients with acute gastroenteritis were complicated by hypokalemia, 92(61%) were not. Of  those with a severe dehydration, 11(23%) had a mild hypokalemia, 17(36%) a moderate, 19(41%) a severe one, patients with a moderate dehydration, 7(50%) had a mild hypokalemia, 5(38%) a moderate, 2(15%) a severe one .Concerning the main complain, 65(44%), had both diarrhea and vomiting, 61(39%), had only diarrhea, 28(17%), had only vomiting.  According to degree of dehydration, there were 72(47%) with moderate dehydration, 81(53%) with a severe dehydration. UOP is poor in (70) with a severe dehydration, and (21) with a moderate dehydration, and is good in (8) with a moderate dehydration, (53) with a severe dehydration. The percentages of the complications were 51(83%), had generalized weakness, 10(17%), and had both generalized weakness and paralytic ileus. Conclusion: Children with acute gastroenteritis were complicated by a hypokalemia 61(39%) paralytic ileus. Diarrhea and vomiting were the commonest complaint of acute gastroenteritis.