The document defines hypophosphatemia and its severity levels. Mild to moderate hypophosphatemia is usually asymptomatic, while major clinical issues occur with severe hypophosphatemia below 1 mg/dL. Treatment aims to correct the underlying cause, with oral phosphate supplementation for mild cases and intravenous treatment for very severe cases below 1 mg/dL. The guidelines provide dosing recommendations for oral and intravenous phosphate repletion based on serum phosphate levels and symptoms.
3. Definition
ï‚— Normal range = 2.5-4.5 mg/dL or 0.81-1.45 mmol/L
ï‚— Hypophosphatemia is defined as:
ï‚— Mild 2-2.5 mg/dL, or 0.65-0.81 mmol/L
ï‚— Moderate 1-2 mg/dL, or 0.32-0.65 mmol/L
ï‚— Severe < 1 mg/dL, or0.32 mmol/L
ï‚— Mild to moderately severe hypophosphatemia is usually
asymptomatic.
ï‚— Major clinical sequelae occurs in severe
hypophosphatemia.
ï‚— As in the case of other intracellular ions (e.g, K, Mag), a
decrease in the level of serum phosphate should be
distinguished from a decrease in total body storage of
phosphate (phosphate deficiency).
5. TREATMENT
ï‚— Symptoms of hypophosphatemia rarely occur
unless the serum phosphate concentration is less
than 2 mg/dL (0.64 mmol/L).
ï‚— Furthermore, the serious symptoms such as muscle
weakness and rhabdomyolysis are not seen until the
serum phosphate concentration falls below 1 mg/dL
(0.32 mmol/L)
ï‚— For these reasons, most hypophosphatemic patients
will not require therapy other than that aimed at the
underlying cause. As examples:
6. ï‚— Hypophosphatemia occurring during the
correction of diabetic ketoacidosis will correct
spontaneously with normal dietary intake.
ï‚— Trials of routine phosphate supplementation have
not shown benefit, but such therapy may be
warranted in patients with severe symptomatic
hypophosphatemia.
7. ï‚— Patients who have hypophosphatemia due to
gastrointestinal losses should correct spontaneously
once there is resolution of the underlying cause (eg,
diarrhea, chronic antacid therapy, or vitamin D
deficiency which should be treated with vitamin D
supplementation).
ï‚— Recommended initial daily vitamin D
supplementation is 800 units/day, but more may be
required. Patients taking drugs that increase the
hepatic metabolism of calcidiol may require as much
as 4000 units/day
8. ï‚— Phosphate repletion regimens
ï‚— Our approach to phosphate repletion takes into
account the serum phosphate concentration, the
presence or absence of overt symptoms of
hypophosphatemia, and whether the patient can take
oral therapy.
ï‚— If possible, we prefer oral rather than intravenous
phosphate therapy, since intravenous repletion can
lead to hyperphosphatemia that may result in serious
complications such as hypocalcemia, acute kidney
injury, and arrhythmias.
ï‚—We suggest the following approach:
9. ï‚— In asymptomatic patients with a serum
phosphate less than 2.0 mg/dL (0.64 mmol/L), we
give oral phosphate therapy since many of these
patients have myopathy and weakness that are
not clinically apparent.
10. ï‚— The treatment of symptomatic patients varies with
the severity of the hypophosphatemia:
ï‚— We treat with oral phosphate if the serum phosphate
is 1.0 to 1.9 mg/dL (0.32 to0.63 mmol/L).
ï‚— We treat with intravenous phosphate if the serum
phosphate is less than 1.0 mg/dL (0.32 mmol/L), and
switch to oral replacement when the serum
phosphate exceeds 1.5 mg/dL (0.48 mmol/L).
11. ï‚— We stop phosphate repletion when the serum
phosphate is greater than or equal to 2.0 mg/dL
(0.64 mmol/L) unless there is an indication for
chronic therapy such as persistent urinary phosphate
wasting.
ï‚— Oral repletion is most often achieved with a
combined preparation of sodium and potassium
phosphate; sodium phosphate is preferred for
intravenous therapy.
12. ï‚— Oral dosing
ï‚— When oral dosing is used, we initiate therapy with 30 to
80 millimoles (mmol) of phosphate per day in divided
doses.
ï‚— Phosphate may also be supplemented with skim milk,
which contains approximately 15 mmol of phosphate
per 480 mL serving.
13. ï‚— The following regimen is a reasonable approach :
ï‚— If the serum phosphorous is greater than or equal to
1.5 mg/dL (0.48 mmol/L), 1 mmol/kg of elemental
phosphorous (minimum of 40 mmol and a maximum of
80 mmol) can be given in three to four divided doses
over a 24 hour period.
ï‚— If the serum phosphorous is less than 1.5 mg/dL (0.48
mmol/L), 1.3 mmol/kg of elemental phosphorous (up to
a maximum of 100 mmol) can be given in three to four
divided doses over a 24 hour period.
14. ï‚— Severely obese patients may receive the maximal
initial doses or an adjusted dose based upon their
height and weight .
ï‚— Patients with a reduced glomerular filtration rate
should receive approximately one-half of the
suggested initial dose
15. serum phosphorous give
greater than or equal to 1.5 mg/dL
(0.48 mmol/L)
1 mmol/kg of elemental phosphorous
(minimum of 40 mmol and a maximum
of 80 mmol) can be given in three to
four divided doses over a 24 hour
period.
less than 1.5 mg/dL (0.48 mmol/L) 1.3 mmol/kg of elemental
phosphorous (up to a maximum of 100
mmol) can be given in three to four
divided doses over a 24 hour period
16. ï‚— The serum phosphate concentration should be
rechecked two to twelve hours following the last of the
divided doses to determine whether repeated doses are
required. If so, the same approach may be reapplied.
ï‚— Oral phosphate supplements (tablets and powders)
contain varying ratios of sodium and potassium
phosphate. Serious medication errors have occurred due
to confusion among preparations and lack of uniformity of
units on product labels and when ordering.
ï‚— Thus, an oral phosphate supplement should be selected
with consideration of its potassium and sodium content
and dosed according to millimoles of phosphate.
Commonly used oral phosphate supplements include 250
mg (8 mmol) of phosphate per tablet.
17. ï‚— Intravenous dosing
ï‚— Intravenous phosphate is potentially dangerous, since it can
precipitate with calcium and produce a variety of adverse
effects including hypocalcemia due to binding of calcium, renal
failure due to calcium phosphate precipitation in the kidneys,
and possibly fatal arrhythmias.
ï‚— If intravenous therapy is necessary in patients with severe
symptomatic hypophosphatemia or an inability to take oral
therapy, we suggest a dose that varies depending upon the
severity of the hypophosphatemia and the weight of the
patient. We suggest the following regimen :
18. ï‚— If the serum phosphate concentration is greater
than or equal to 1.3 mg/dL (0.40 mmol/L), we give
0.0 8 to 0.24 mmol/kg over six hours (up to a
maximum total dose of 30 mmol).
ï‚— If the serum phosphate concentration is less than
1.3 mg/dL (0.40 mmol/L), we give 0.25 to 0.50
mmol/kg over 8 to 12 hours (up to a maximum
total dose of 80 mmol).
19. serum phosphorous give
greater than or equal to 1.3 mg/dL
(0.40 mmol/L)
we give 0.08 to 0.24 mmol/kg over six
hours (up to a maximum total dose of
30 mmol).
is less than 1.3 mg/dL (0.40 mmol/L) we give 0.25 to 0.50 mmol/kg over 8 to
12 hours (up to a maximum total dose
of 80 mmol).