Increased Risk of Hyperkalemia in Older Women Taking Spironolactone for Female Pattern Hair Loss

    September 2022 in “ Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology ”
    Maya Collins, Shaheir Ali, Isabel Pupo Wiss
    TLDR Older women taking spironolactone for hair loss may need yearly potassium checks due to a higher risk of hyperkalemia.
    A retrospective case series examined the incidence of hyperkalemia in 53 women aged 66 and older, with an average age of 71, who were taking spironolactone for female pattern hair loss (FPHL). The study found that nearly 10% of these patients developed hyperkalemia, defined as serum potassium >5.0 mEq/L, within the first year of use. Notably, the affected patients had no history of renal disease or hypertension. These findings suggest an increased risk of hyperkalemia in older women using spironolactone for FPHL, indicating that routine yearly potassium monitoring may be necessary for this demographic.
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