High potassium (also called hyperkalemia) is a medical problem in which you have too much potassium in your blood. When kidneys do not work as well as they should, the amount of potassium in the blood can increase. Too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous and can cause an irregular heartbeat or a heart attack.
Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Potassium affects the way your heart's muscles work. When you have too much potassium, your heart may beat irregularly, which in the worst cases can cause heart attack. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 for emergency help.
What is a safe or normal potassium level? A typical potassium level for an adult falls between 3.5 and 5.0 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Hyperkalemia occurs when levels go above 5.5 mmol/L. A reading above 6.5 mmol/L can cause heart problems that require immediate medical attention.
Previous studies have shown that increasing potassium intake can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
A serious side effect of hyperkalemia is the risk of developing an irregular heart rate, where your heart rate is either too fast or too slow. This happens when damage occurs to the muscles controlling your heart. This can lead to heart palpitations, chest pain, and even heart failure.
There are limited or no options for at-home kits to test potassium levels. If you are prescribed a 24-hour urine test, you will need to collect your urine wherever you are during the day, including at home. However, this testing is still prescribed by your doctor rather than sold as a separate at-home test kit.
Even if hyperkalemia isn't a crisis, you still need to get your potassium levels down. Some medications lower potassium slowly, including: Water pills (diuretics), which rid the body of extra fluids and remove potassium through urine. Sodium bicarbonate, which temporarily shifts potassium into body cells.
Potassium rich foods keep the heart healthy by lowering blood pressure, keeping heart rhythm steady, and reducing risk of cardiac arrest.
If hyperkalemia comes on suddenly and you have very high levels of potassium, you may feel heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting. Sudden or severe hyperkalemia is a life-threatening condition. It requires immediate medical care.
Increasing potassium intake can help decrease your blood pressure if you have high blood pressure. By lowering blood pressure, increasing potassium intake can also reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. In contrast, consuming too much sodium can raise your blood pressure.
Excessive water consumption may lead to depletion of potassium, which is an essential nutrient. This may cause symptoms like leg pain, irritation, chest pain, et al.
Hyperkalemia with high potassium levels (eg, >6.0 mmol/L) may lead to cardiac arrhythmias and death,8 but even potassium levels of >5.0 mmol/L have been associated with increased mortality in patients with acute‐care hospital admission6 and in patients with HF.
If you take more potassium than your kidneys can eliminate, the concentration of potassium in your blood can elevate to a point where you develop a condition called hyperkalemia. Taking more than 18 grams of potassium per day can cause this mineral to accumulate, as can kidney failure or diuretic use.
Potassium levels can be tested with a blood test or a urine test. Urine potassium can be checked in a single urine sample. But it is more often measured in a 24-hour urine sample. Your doctor will decide if a urine or blood sample is needed.
Normal: between 3.5 and 5.0. High: from 5.1 to 6.0. Dangerously high: over 6.0.
Dietary potassium regulates calcification of arteries. Low dietary potassium leads to calcified arteries and aortic stiffness, while increased dietary potassium alleviates those undesirable effects in a mouse model, suggesting dietary potassium may protect against heart disease and death from heart disease in humans.
Results—There was an independent, linear association between serum potassium, per mmol/L increase, and both stroke (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–1.52; P<0.0001) and mortality (hazard ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–1.28; P<0.0001).
Previous research has already shown that eating more salt is linked with having higher blood pressure and a high risk of heart attacks and strokes, while eating more potassium-rich foods has been linked with having lower blood pressure and a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
If you have hyperkalemia, doctors will advise you to avoid certain foods that are high in potassium. You can also make sure to drink plenty of water. Dehydration can make hyperkalemia worse.
The most common cause of genuinely high potassium (hyperkalemia) is related to your kidneys, such as: Acute kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease.
Typical patients with hypokalemia have required a mean of 5 days for return of their serum potassium levels to normal (12,13).