Impact of hyperkalemia on hospitalization days in advanced chronic kidney disease patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus: A prospective study

Objective: This study aimed to explore the impact of hyperkalemia at admission on hospitalization days (HDs) among advanced chronic kidney disease patients (CKD) with type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China.Methods: A total of 270 CKD patients with T2DM were prospectively selected from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. These patients were divided into Group-A (n = 150, serum potassium <= 5.5 mmol/L) and B (n = 120, serum potassium > 5.5 mmol/L). The comparison method between the two groups was taken. Linear correlation analysis was performed using the Spearman correlation method, and multivariate analysis was tested using linear regression.Results: The study found statistically significant result between the two groups (Group-A vs Group-B): HDs (7.4 (5.3-11.2) vs 12.1 (8.2-16.5), p < 0.001), renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASIs) (36.2% vs 55.8%, p = 0.014), systolic blood pressure (148.35 +/- 19.51 vs 162.26 +/- 21.31, p < 0.05), estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) (20.35) (18.31-25.26) vs13.4 (12.50-18.50), p < 0.001, N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (2245.42 +/- 61.09 vs 3163.39 +/- 85.15,p < 0.001), and Hb (88.45 +/- 12.35 vs 72.26 +/- 14.2, p = 0.023). Correlation analysis showed that HDs were positively correlated with age, serum potassium, systolic blood pressure, and NT-proBNP, while negatively with eGFR and Hb. After adjusting for relevant confounding variables, the multivariable linear regression analysis showed that hyperkalemia was an independent risk factor for HDs.Conclusions: Hyperkalemia could be an independent risk factor increasing HDs of advanced CKD patients with T2DM.