Differences in serum potassium concentrations in normal men in different geographic locations

作者：M M Reidenberg, Zhiping Gu, B Lorenzo, Elsimar Metzker Coutinho, Célia Athayde, J Frick, F Alvarez, Vivian Brache, Edward Ejiro Emuveyan · 发表于：Clinical Chemistry · 年份：1993 · DOI：10.1093/clinchem/39.1.72 · 被引用次数：31 · 研究领域：Electrolyte and hormonal disorders、Bipolar Disorder and Treatment、Pregnancy and Medication Impact

Hypokalemia has been associated with the taking of gossypol, a potential oral antifertility drug for men. Because the frequency of this response differed in different parts of the world, this study was done to learn if "normal" serum [K+] also differed. [K+] was measured by flame photometry in serum from apparently normal men from Austria (n = 30), China (53), Brazil (100), the Dominican Republic (38), and the US (103), and in plasma from Nigerian men (82). The mean (SD) for [K+] in Chinese men, 3.82 (0.27) mmol/L, was lower than that in Brazilians [4.06 (0.29) mmol/L], Austrians [4.14 (0.44) mmol/L], Dominicans [4.37 (0.33) mmol/L], or Americans [4.38 (0.37) mmol/L]. Apparently there are regional differences in average serum [K+], with men in China having lower serum [K+] than men elsewhere. This may predispose them to hypokalemia.