Pseudohyperkalaemia associated with hereditary spherocytosis in four members of a family

Pseudohyperkalaemia was detected in four members of a family all of whom have hereditary spherocytosis with normal white blood cells and platelets counts. The degree of pseudohyperkalaemia was related to the time between sampling and cell separation, and inversely related to the temperature in which the sample was left to stand before cell separation. A fifth member of this family was free from both conditions. The association suggests linkage at a membrane level.