Extreme hyperkalemia induced by drugs.

Because of age and disease-induced pathophysiologic changes, elderly and diabetic patients are prone to hyperkalemia under even the best of circumstances. Further complicating the situation is the fact that the drugs often prescribed for these populations can affect potassium homeostasis. Drs Rigolin and Chap describe a case in which an elderly diabetic man with azotemia survived extreme drug-induced hyperkalemia.