Hypokalaemia
Hypokalaemia is a severe condition characterized by a low level of potassium in the blood, and it arises when a person’s potassium level falls below 2.5 millimoles per liter. This can be a life-threatening condition. Hypokalaemia symptoms depend on how severe the deficiency is. Hypokalaemia symptoms may include high blood pressure, heart issues, constipation, muscle weakness, fatigue, and kidney problems. Read More
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Hypokalaemia
Table of contents
What is Hypokalemia?
Potassium is a crucial nutrient needed by the body for a wide range of functions, such as keeping up the heartbeat, helping the muscles to move, helping the cells to get the required nutrients, helping the nerves to send their signals, and maintaining the blood pressure and preventing it from getting too high. Deficiency occurs if too much potassium is lost through prolonged diarrhea or vomiting or if sufficient potassium is not being gained from diets. Hypokalaemia is a severe condition characterized by a low level of potassium in the blood, and it arises when a person’s potassium level falls below 2.5 millimoles per liter. This can be a life-threatening condition. The symptoms depend on how severe the deficiency is. Hypokalaemia symptoms may include high blood pressure, heart issues, constipation, muscle weakness, fatigue, and kidney problems.
Causes
- Hypokalemia causes are typically due to low levels of potassium in the body system, which results from the loss of too much potassium from the digestive tract owing to vomiting, diarrhea, or abusive or excessive use of laxatives.
- Certain medications: Hypokalemia causes could also be a result of too much excretion of potassium in the urine, owing to drugs that make the kidneys excrete sodium, water, and potassium in excess.
- Adrenal disorders: Many adrenal disorders, such as Cushing syndrome, make the adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone hormone, which causes the kidneys to excrete large amounts of potassium than necessary from the body.
- Certain drugs such as albuterol, insulin, and terbutaline make more potassium than necessary, move from the bloodstream to the cells, and by so doing, may result in hypokalaemia. However, the hypokalaemia caused by these drugs is usually temporary.
- Hypomagnesaemia (low level of magnesium in the body): Hypokalaemia may sometimes occur along with, or may be caused by, the low level of magnesium in the blood.
- Rare hypokalaemia causes colon villous polyps and certain rare disorders, such as Liddle syndrome, Bartter’s syndrome, and Gitelman syndrome.
- Consuming too little potassium is one of the rare hypokalaemia causes, because many foods, such as beans, dark leafy greens, potatoes, fish, and bananas, are potassium laden.
Symptoms
Hypokalemia symptoms are usually absent whenever there is a slight drop in the level of blood potassium.
In cases where the drop is huge, and significant likely hypokalemia symptoms include
- Muscle weakness, cramping, fatigue, and twitches.
- Paralysis.
- Abnormal heart rhythms – These symptoms may also occur in cases where the drop in potassium level is slight if there is an existing heart disorder.
- Kidney problems are characterized by frequent urination and drinking large amounts of water.
- Constipation.
- Respiratory failure.
- Breathing Difficulties
How is hypokalemia diagnosed?
To diagnose hypokalaemia, a series of tests and analyses may be conducted. The investigations for hypokalaemia diagnosis include;
- A review of medical and medication history.
- Blood tests such as measurement of the level of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous in the blood, glucose estimation, and in most cases, a complete kidney function test are done.
- Electrocardiography (which many people refer to as hypokalemia ECG).
- At times, an analysis may also be carried out to measure the amount of potassium in the urine.
- Tests for magnesium blood levels
- Arterial blood gas
- Urine potassium and creatinine ratio.
How is hypokalemia treated?
Hypokalaemia management depends on the hypokalaemia symptoms exhibited and the exact potassium levels estimated. However, in general, options for hypokalaemia correction include
- Stoppage or reduction of the dosages of any medication that can lead to hypokalaemia.
- Placement of daily potassium supplements.
- Recommendation of daily or regular consumption of foods rich in potassium, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Placement on medications that can raise the level of potassium in the body, such as angiotensin receptor blockers.
Magnesium therapy- this treatment is used whenever hypomagnesemia is the cause of hypokalemia. Slow intravenous magnesium should be given. In severe hypokalaemia, immediate steps must be taken for hypokalaemia correction, such as immediately administering potassium intravenously.
FAQ
Potassium can be sufficiently gotten in certain foods, such as
1) Bananas.
2) Tomatoes.
3) Oranges.
4) Cantaloupes.
5) Peaches.
6) Cooked beet greens.
7) Baked Yams.
8) Cooked white beans.
9) Cooked clams.
10) Baked white potatoes.
11) Baked sweet potatoes.
12) Avocado.
13) Cooked Pinto beans.
14) Dried apricots.
15) Cooked lentils.
16) Dried prunes.
17) Spinach.
18) Non-fat fruit yogurt.
19) Cooked chopped broccoli.
20) Cooked brown rice.
Only if recommended by a doctor. Having too much potassium in the body can be harmful; it’s known as hyperkalemia.
Potassium is an electrolyte and plays a very important role in digestive and bone health and in keeping the muscles, nerves, and heart functioning properly.
Hypokalaemia is a condition characterized by a low level of potassium in the body, while hyperkalaemia is a condition characterized by a high level of potassium in the body.
Some of these are –
1) Diuretic therapy with drugs that do not conserve potassium.
2) Certain eating disorders, like bulimia.
3) Abuse or excessive alcohol consumption.
4) Profuse sweating.
5) Overdose or abuse of laxatives.
6) Persistent or excessive diarrhea or vomiting.
7) Low magnesium level in the blood.
8) Certain medical conditions (like hyperaldosteronism) or genetic disorders (like Bartter syndrome).
9) Usage of certain antibiotics.
1) Quit consumption of alcohol.
2) Avoid excessive use of laxatives.
3) When experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, drink enough electrolyte replacement solutions.
4) Consume enough potassium-laden foods, such as bananas, fish, dark leafy greens, beans, nuts, tomatoes, and those mentioned above.
Complications associated with hypokalemia are listed below:
1) Heart block
2) Respiratory failure due to paralysis of muscles of respiration
3) Muscle necrosis
4) Acute state of confusion and disorientation
5) Paralysis of voluntary muscles
6) Paralysis of smooth muscles of the digestive tract (ileus)
The prognosis of hypokalemia depends upon its severity. Symptoms caused due to hypokalemia will go away after adequate treatment with potassium. However, if left untreated, it can be fatal.
Hypokalemia is associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia in patients with cardiovascular disease [1].
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3016067/
