Diagnosing Electrolyte Disorders
Algorithms for Diagnosing Some Electrolyte Disorders
MILFORD FULOP MD
From the Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY.
The differential diagnosis of electrolyte disorders has traditionally been framed in terms of pathophysiology, and analysis of clinical problems has usually proceeded in the same way. However, easier access to rapid-response laboratory analysis has prompted physicians who encounter patients with serious electrolyte abnormalities to try to establish the cause by quickly obtaining further simple tests. In that vein, this article and the algorithms that are presented are intended to assist the preliminary laboratory differential diagnosis of low and high serum levels of sodium, potassium, and calcium.
Read the rest »