Study design
This was a retrospective observational study of patients who received
co-trimoxazole for therapeutic or prophylactic indications at Hamad
General Hospital (HGH) in Qatar. Patients were identified through a
computerized pharmacy system, via an automated report generated between
1 January 2012 and 1 January 2013. Baseline potassium serum level was
considered as any level within one week prior to initiation of
co-trimoxazole; all subsequent levels were follow-up. Hyperkalemia was
defined as serum potassium level above 5.5 mEq/L [2]. Laboratory
parameters (serum creatinine and serum potassium levels) were obtained
from electronic medical records.