A Study of Electrolyte Imbalance in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Open Access

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic liver disease is a progressive condition associated with significant metabolic, hemodynamic, and renal alterations that frequently lead to electrolyte disturbances. Abnormalities of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are particularly common in advanced liver disease and may contribute to complications such as ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and renal dysfunction. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the pattern of electrolyte imbalance among patients with chronic liver disease. Methods & Materials: This prospective cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the Department of Medicine of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2023 to December 2023 to assess electrolyte imbalance among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). A total of 110 adult patients diagnosed with CLD were selected by purposive sampling. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Result: Among 110 patients with chronic liver disease, 71.8% had at least one electrolyte abnormality. Hyponatremia was the most common disturbance (43.6%), followed by hypocalcemia (37.3%), hypomagnesemia (28.2%), and hypokalemia (24.5%). Electrolyte imbalances were significantly more frequent in decompensated liver disease, with hyponatremia present in 56.9% of decompensated patients compared with 18.4% of compensated patients. Hyponatremia was also significantly associated with ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and renal dysfunction. Conclusion: Electrolyte abnormalities were very common in patients with chronic liver disease, with hyponatremia occurring most frequently, followed by hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypokalemia. These imbalances were observed significantly more often in patients with decompensated liver disease and showed a strong association with important clinical complications, including ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and renal dysfunction.