Hyperkalemia
What is it?
Hyperkalemia is a high level of potassium in the blood. Potassium is an electrolyte that is important to the function of our nerve and muscle cells, including the heart. (May also be spelled hyperkalaemia.)
Who gets it?
Hyperkalemia is most common in people with kidney disorders, especially those who do not watch their potassium intake; the elderly, who are experiencing age-related organ deterioration; and people with diseases that affect kidney function.
What causes it?
Most of the body’s potassium is stored inside various cells and organs, with only a small amount found in the blood. The body maintains a balance of potassium in the blood by matching the amount of potassium we take in with the amount excreted (put out) by the kidneys. Hyperkalemia occurs when the kidneys aren’t excreting enough potassium from the body. This could be caused by a disease that affects kidney function, by eating large amounts of potassium-rich foods, or by certain drugs used to treat high blood pressure that cause the kidneys to retain potassium rather than release it. Addison’s disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands, is also a cause of hyperkalemia. Sometimes severe injury, such as muscle trauma or burns, causes the cells and organs to release potassium into the bloodstream in such large amounts that the kidneys have difficulty excreting it, and this causes hyperkalemia. Another cause of hyperkalemia is acidosis, a condition in which too much acid in the blood causes muscles to take up the excess acid in exchange for a release of potassium into the blood.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of hyperkalemia include irregular heartbeat, which can range from mild to severe. Severe cases can result in cardiac arrest. Patients may feel muscle weakness or flaccid paralysis (limpness), numbness in the feet or hands, and skin tingling.
How is it diagnosed?
Hyperkalemia is diagnosed by measuring the potassium levels in a blood sample. Normal blood potassium levels are 3.5 to 5.0 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L) of blood. A patient with hyperkalemia will have a blood potassium level higher than 5.0 mEq/L. Your doctor may also order a test called an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which measures the electrical activity of the heart.
What is the treatment?
Severe hyperkalemia is treated with an intravenous (IV) solution of insulin and glucose, which causes the cells to absorb the excess potassium from the blood. The solution may also contain calcium to protect the heart from the damaging effects of high potassium. Dialysis may be required if the kidneys are failing. If hyperkalemia is mild, your doctor will recommend a diet low in potassium. He or she may also recommend a special preparation called a potassium-absorbing resin. This medication is taken orally and enters the intestines where it absorbs the excess potassium. The potassium then leaves the body in the stool (bowel movement).
Self-care tips
If you have a disease that affects kidney function or are taking drugs that affect the kidneys’ ability to release potassium, it is important to watch your potassium intake. Foods high in potassium include bananas, oranges, tomatoes, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, melons, peas and beans, and potatoes.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.
What is it?
Hyperkalemia is a high level of potassium in the blood. Potassium is an electrolyte that is important to the function of our nerve and muscle cells, including the heart. (May also be spelled hyperkalaemia.)
Who gets it?
Hyperkalemia is most common in people with kidney disorders, especially those who do not watch their potassium intake; the elderly, who are experiencing age-related organ deterioration; and people with diseases that affect kidney function.
What causes it?
Most of the body’s potassium is stored inside various cells and organs, with only a small amount found in the blood. The body maintains a balance of potassium in the blood by matching the amount of potassium we take in with the amount excreted (put out) by the kidneys. Hyperkalemia occurs when the kidneys aren’t excreting enough potassium from the body. This could be caused by a disease that affects kidney function, by eating large amounts of potassium-rich foods, or by certain drugs used to treat high blood pressure that cause the kidneys to retain potassium rather than release it. Addison’s disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands, is also a cause of hyperkalemia. Sometimes severe injury, such as muscle trauma or burns, causes the cells and organs to release potassium into the bloodstream in such large amounts that the kidneys have difficulty excreting it, and this causes hyperkalemia. Another cause of hyperkalemia is acidosis, a condition in which too much acid in the blood causes muscles to take up the excess acid in exchange for a release of potassium into the blood.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of hyperkalemia include irregular heartbeat, which can range from mild to severe. Severe cases can result in cardiac arrest. Patients may feel muscle weakness or flaccid paralysis (limpness), numbness in the feet or hands, and skin tingling.
How is it diagnosed?
Hyperkalemia is diagnosed by measuring the potassium levels in a blood sample. Normal blood potassium levels are 3.5 to 5.0 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L) of blood. A patient with hyperkalemia will have a blood potassium level higher than 5.0 mEq/L. Your doctor may also order a test called an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which measures the electrical activity of the heart.
What is the treatment?
Severe hyperkalemia is treated with an intravenous (IV) solution of insulin and glucose, which causes the cells to absorb the excess potassium from the blood. The solution may also contain calcium to protect the heart from the damaging effects of high potassium. Dialysis may be required if the kidneys are failing. If hyperkalemia is mild, your doctor will recommend a diet low in potassium. He or she may also recommend a special preparation called a potassium-absorbing resin. This medication is taken orally and enters the intestines where it absorbs the excess potassium. The potassium then leaves the body in the stool (bowel movement).
Self-care tips
If you have a disease that affects kidney function or are taking drugs that affect the kidneys’ ability to release potassium, it is important to watch your potassium intake. Foods high in potassium include bananas, oranges, tomatoes, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, melons, peas and beans, and potatoes.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.
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