WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For women aged 45 years or older taking spironolactone for dermatologic conditions, the incidence of hyperkalemia is 10.1 percent and is increased for older patients and those with predisposing conditions, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Samantha Gregoire, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the incidence of hyperkalemia in women aged 45 years and older taking spironolactone for dermatologic conditions in a retrospective cohort study. A total of 1,197 medical records were reviewed; 398 cases were analyzed.

The researchers found that the incidence of hyperkalemia was 10.1 percent and was more often seen in older patients (22.4 versus 7.9 percent for those aged 65 years and older versus 45 to 64 years) and among those with one or more predisposing comorbidities (14.7 versus 7.3 for medically complex versus healthy individuals). The least affected were healthy women aged 45 to 64 years (6.3 percent), while the highest incidence was seen for patients aged 65 years and older with one or more predisposing comorbidities (28.1 percent). In general, hyperkalemia was mild and asymptomatic (97.5 and 85 percent, respectively) and did not affect clinical management (62.5 percent).

"Identification of hyperkalemia on routine laboratory monitoring infrequently impacts clinical management or patient outcomes," the authors write. "Monitoring guidelines for spironolactone's use in dermatology should be developed over time; for now, individualized clinical decision-making is key."

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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