Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of treating hyperkalaemia in (a) Coventry South constituency and (b) the UK.

Hyperkalaemia usually occurs in patients with renal impairment which can be acute or chronic. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), several factors increase susceptibility to hyperkalaemia including a high dietary potassium intake relative to residual renal function. When patients with CKD have other risk factors, for example treatment with drugs that interfere with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the risk of hyperkalaemia is further increased. Clinical presentation of hyperkalaemia is highly variable with some patients presenting with an acute illness whilst others may be asymptomatic.

Although not completely preventable, the risk of developing hyperkalaemia can be reduced. Clinical practice guidelines treatment of acute hyperkalaemia in adults, a collaboration between the Renal Association and Resuscitation Council UK that is endorsed by a range of organisations, including the College of Emergency Medicine and the Faculty of Intensive Care medicine, sets out evidence-based guidance on the management of the condition. It was developed to improve the treatment of acute hyperkalaemia and to reduce the risk of complications associated with hyperkalaemia and its treatment. The main measures in primary prevention in patients with CKD are regular blood monitoring, careful drug prescribing and dietary advice. Patient information and education may reduce the risk of inadvertent hyperkalaemia. The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://renal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/hyperkalaemia-guideline-1.pdf

Information regarding the annual cost to the National Health Service of treating hyperkalaemia in Coventry South and England is not available. This answer covers England only. Funding of such services in the other United Kingdom nations is a matter for the respective devolved administrations.