Our cross-sectional study estimated the prevalence and clinical relevance of hypokalaemia among confirmed COVID-19 cases admitted in three hospitals in Bangkok during the early outbreak in Thailand. Of 36 patients, nine were in the hypokalaemia group (25%) and 27 in the normokalaemia group (75%). All cases were asymptomatic, and 94.4% had mild hypokalaemia. Hypokalaemia was found significantly earlier in the course of COVID-19 without evidence of significant extrarenal potassium loss. Body temperature and mean serum sodium in the hypokalaemia group tended to be higher than the normokalaemia group. Hypokalaemia and potentially higher serum sodium among COVID-19 patients were the remarkable findings. This issue warrants for further investigation.
Keywords: Hypokalaemia; Thailand; angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor; coronavirus disease 2019.