• Yunmi Kim, Seong Han Yun, Hoseok Koo, Subin Hwang, Hyo Jin Kim, Sunhwa Lee, Hyunjeong Baek, Hye Hyeon Kim, Kye Hwa Lee, Ju Han Kim, Ji In Park, and Kyung Don Yoo.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Busan Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2021 Apr 1; 62 (4): 315-324.

PurposeTo determine seasonal variations in serum potassium levels among hemodialysis patients.Materials And MethodsThis was a multicenter cohort study of patients whounderwent hemodialysis and were registered in DialysisNet at our four associated general hospitals between January and December 2016. Month-to-month potassium variability was quantified as SD/√{n/(n-1)}, and a non-hierarchical method was used to cluster groups according to potassium trajectories. Seasonal variations in potassium levels were analyzed using a cosinor analysis.ResultsThe analysis was performed on 279 patients with a mean potassium level of 5.08±0.58 mmol/L. After clustering, 52.3% (n=146) of patients were included in the moderate group (K+, 4.6±0.4 mmol/L) and 47.7% (n=133) in the high group (K+, 5.6±0.4 mmol/L). The mean potassium level peaked in January in the moderate group (4.83±0.74 mmol/L) and in August in the high group (5.51±0.70 mmol/L). In the high potassium group, potassium levels were significantly higher in summer than in autumn (p<0.001) and spring (p=0.007). Month-to-month potassium variability was greater in the high group than in the moderate group (0.59±0.19 mmol/L vs. 0.52±0.21 mmol/L, respectively, p=0.012). Compared to patients in the first quartile of potassium variability (≤0.395 mmol/L), those with higher variability (2nd-4th quartiles) were 2.8-4.2 fold more likely to be in the high potassium group.ConclusionDifferent seasonal patterns of serum potassium were identified in the moderate and high potassium groups, with potassium levels being significantly higher in the summer season in the high potassium group and in winter for the moderate potassium group.© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2021.

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