Final answer:
IV pentamidine therapy can lead to metabolic and electrolyte disturbances such as metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, hyponatremia, and hypophosphatemia, which can have severe implications and exacerbate conditions in susceptible patients.
Step-by-step explanation:
IV pentamidine therapy is associated with numerous metabolic and electrolyte disturbances. Patients undergoing this treatment may experience a wide range of symptoms from mild dizziness and chills to severe conditions such as jaundice and potentially fatal hypotension. Metabolic complications can include metabolic acidosis, where a deficiency of bicarbonate leads to acidic blood, affecting enzyme activity and increasing excitability of cardiac and neural membranes. This, in turn, may promote hypokalemia, characterized by decreased blood levels of potassium, hyponatremia with lower-than-normal levels of sodium, and hypophosphatemia reflecting significantly low phosphate levels. Such disturbances are critical to manage as they may lead to more acute conditions like disseminated intravascular coagulation, potentially resulting in kidney failure and death.
Patients with conditions such as chronic kidney disease may experience worsened symptoms due to IV pentamidine therapy because of their predisposition to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, conditions like Wilson's disease, vitamin K deficiency, and nephrosis can exacerbate the patient's susceptibility to the side effects of this treatment.