Article Published In Vol.4 (Jan-Feb-2016)

The Ubiquitous use and Side Effects of Diuretics

Author : Shobana S and Hanifah M

Diuretics are some of the most frequently used medication in medicine and are widely used for therapy of hypertension and volume over loaded states as in liver failure, Nephrotic syndrome, congestive cardiac failure, etc. The acute use of Diuretics has several side effects like hypovolemia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hyperuricemia and dangerous side effects like metabolic alkalosis. Diuretic use account for about 90% of clinical case of metabolic alkalosis. We report a case who presented with clinical features of disorientation, hypoxia, hypercarbia, severe electrolyte imbalance, which was diagnosed as metabolic alkalosis after laboratory and clinical feature secondary to acute diuretic use for idiopathic pulmonary hypertension diagnosed outside and discharged without monitoring electrolytes. Metabolic alkalosis has many harmful side effects like cardiac arrhythmias, hypoventilation, seizures, tetany, and hepatic encephalopathy. This case highlights the importance of electrolyte monitoring while prescribing diuretics.

Keywords: Diuretics, hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, arrhythmias