Question:medium
Lithium causes which of the following electrolyte or metabolic effects?
Lithium causes which of the following electrolyte or metabolic effects?
Show Hint
Recall the lithium ECG change and the electrolyte pattern it mimics.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Hypokalemia
- Hyperkalemia
- Hypocalcemia
- Hypercalcemia
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Tie the answer to lithium's cardiac signature. The most common ECG change with lithium is T wave depression or flattening, the same pattern you see with low potassium. Because lithium's cardiovascular effects mimic hypokalemia, the matched electrolyte option here is hypokalemia, not hyperkalemia. The calcium options are distractors: hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia are not the classic lithium associations tested in this stem. Round out the picture by recalling lithium's other adverse effects, fine tremor as the commonest, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, hypothyroidism with goitre, and Ebstein anomaly in the fetus. For this question, the answer is hypokalemia.
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