High levels of potassium in the blood (called hyperkalemia) is unpredictable and can be life-threatening. It can cause serious heart problems and sudden death.
Although your body needs potassium, having too much in your blood can be harmful. It can lead to serious heart problems.
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.
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. Albuterol, which raises blood insulin levels and shifts potassium into body cells.
Muscle weakness
Too much potassium in your blood doesn't only affect your heart muscles. It can also affect the muscles throughout your body. You can develop muscle fatigue or muscle weakness due to high potassium levels. Simple activities like walking can make you feel weak.
The most common cause of genuinely high potassium (hyperkalemia) is related to your kidneys, such as: Acute kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease.
Chronic hyperkalemia, which develops over the course of weeks or months, can usually be managed outside of the hospital. Treating chronic hyperkalemia usually involves changes to your diet, changes to your medication, or starting a medication such as potassium binders.
High potassium can be acute (lasting up to a few days) or chronic (lasting a long time). Acute high potassium may go away with short-term treatment. Chronic high potassium requires continual treatment and monitoring by a physician.
Severe hyperkalemia is a medical emergency and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality; it therefore requires hospitalization, ECG monitoring, and immediate treatment [16].
The kidneys keep a close eye on the body's potassium levels, so hyperkalemia is rare when the kidneys are functioning normally. But chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition, and decreased kidney function is one of the most important factors that can cause high potassium.
Potassium is a chemical that is critical to the function of nerve and muscle cells, including those in your heart. Your blood potassium level is normally 3.6 to 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Having a blood potassium level higher than 6.0 mmol/L can be dangerous and usually requires immediate treatment.
Foods to limit or avoid
Limit high-potassium foods such as: bananas. avocados. raisins.
Yes, some diuretics — also called water pills — decrease potassium in the blood. Diuretics are commonly used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
What should I include in my diet to help lower potassium? 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.
Potassium and exercise
When you exercise, your muscles lose potassium. This creates a substantial rise in blood potassium levels. For most people, the kidneys filter out the extra potassium fairly quickly, and potassium levels return to normal within a few minutes of rest.
It can cause life-threatening heart rhythm changes (arrhythmia) that cause a heart attack. Even mild hyperkalemia can damage your heart over time if you don't get treatment.
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.
Therapy for hyperkalemia resulted in hypokalemia in one inpatient. There were no other complications. The mean ± SD length of stay for the inpatients was 6.9±4.9 days, reflecting the presence of other medical problems identified at admission. Length of stay was as short as 3 days to as long as 17 days.
A typical regimen is 10 U of regular insulin and 50 mL of dextrose 50% in water (D50W). The onset of action is within 20-30 minutes, and the duration is variable, ranging from 2 to 6 hours. Continuous infusions of insulin and glucose-containing IV fluids can be used for prolonged effect.
Typical patients with hypokalemia have required a mean of 5 days for return of their serum potassium levels to normal (12,13).
Boiling potatoes and vegetables will reduce their potassium content as some of the potassium leaks into the cooking water. Potatoes that have been par-boiled (partly cooked by boiling) can then be fried, roasted or added to casseroles if desired. Try not to use cooking water to make gravy, stocks or soups.
Most meats add some potassium to your meals. Chicken breast has the most per 3-ounce serving with 332 milligrams, but beef and turkey breast contain 315 and 212 milligrams, respectively.