Acute encephalopathy due to severe hypophosphatemia

Abstract

Hypophosphatemia is a rare ionic alteration that occurs mainly in hospitalized patients. It is estimated that up to 5 percent of them may have low serum phosphate concentrations (less than 2.5 mg / dL [0.80 mmol / L]). However, prevalences greater than 30 to 50 percent have been reported in alcoholic patients and/or patients with severe sepsis or trauma (1,2). When combined with phosphate depletion (that is, when it is not due solely to phosphate movement into cells), hypophosphatemia can cause a variety of signs and symptoms, primarily symptomatic when it is less than 1 mg / dL (3). The leading causes are divided into four points according to their production mechanism: internal redistribution, decreased intestinal absorption, increased urinary excretion, or elimination through renal replacement techniques (4). We present the case of a patient suffering from unspecific acute encephalopathic symptoms associated with severe hypophosphatemia with adequate evolution after its correction.