In Some Patients With Covid-19, The Blood Potassium Levels Are High
This could be fatal
While taking care of patients with Covid-19, I have noticed something really strange: the blood level of potassium is high. Now, when the kidneys fail, elevated blood potassium can be common, as the kidneys are the main route for the body to get rid of potassium. Yet, in these patients the kidney function is normal, but the potassium level remains high. We make sure they are not getting extra potassium in the IV fluids, and the levels still come back high. This has happened to multiple Covid-19 patients for which I have cared. I have always thought this was a little curious, but then when I did a little more research, I may have found an answer why: perhaps severe Covid-19 acts like ACE inhibitor toxicity, and this may be a marker of severe illness.
There has been a lot of attention on a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors and Covid-19. These drugs are widely used to treat high blood pressure. The reason for all the attention to these drugs is because SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, attaches to the ACE-2 receptor on the cells in the lungs in order to get into the cells. There was speculation that people taking these drugs are at higher risk for Covid-19 or get worse outcomes with Covid-19. Research has not borne this out.
