Hyperkalemia:  Addressing a Significant and Poorly Met Healthcare Need

Patients with kidney and liver disease have a buildup of natural substances that become toxic when the organs can no longer process and excrete them efficiently.  These “toxins” include elevated potassium, urea, ammonium and phosphate.  As a patient’s disease progresses, significant elevations in potassium levels become frequently associated with life threatening cardiac and neurologic abnormalities.  Elevations greater than 7mEq/L often are fatal.  In the case of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD), both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis assist in the removal of these dangerous toxins.  However, poor compliance with treatment sessions, inadequate control of recommended diets and continued disease progression are major contributors to the high incidence of hyperkalemia in this patient population.  There are currently no guidelines available for the treatment of  hyperkalemia,  Today, therapeutic options to address acute hyperkalemia are inadequate while therapeutic options for chronic hyperkalemic patients do not exist.  Because patients with chronic hyperkalemia have no viable treatment alternatives they would likely go undetected and untreated until significant medical issues arise.