High Potassium in Blood

Potassium is an important mineral that takes part in numerous biochemical processes including, metabolism, digestion and the regulation of muscle tissues and heartbeat. It also helps to maintain the balance between various electrical and chemical processes of the body. However, presence of too much potassium in the body can be harmful. Medically, high potassium in blood is referred to as hyperkalemia. The normal potassium levels in blood are, 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. When the level of potassium is higher than 6 mEq/L, it is considered as a condition of hyperkalemia that demands immediate medical attention. A significantly high level of potassium in blood can have serious consequences on a person's health. It can be associated with several conditions, which are explained below along with the symptoms and treatment for this condition.

Hyperkalemia Causes
Potassium is excreted from the body by the kidneys. Excretion of potassium by the kidneys is controlled by a hormone, known as aldosterone. So, most of the cases of hyperkalemia have been found to be associated with the failure of the kidney to remove excess potassium from the body, or due to a lack of the hormone aldosterone. The kidneys can fail to filter out potassium from the body due to conditions like, acute and chronic kidney failure and glomerulonephritis. On the other hand, conditions like, Addison's disease can cause reduced production of aldosterone, which in turn can adversely affect the excretion of excess potassium by the kidneys.

Sometimes, tissue damage can also increase the level of potassium in blood. This can be the case with severe burns, injury, surgery, gastrointestinal bleeding, tumors, hemolytic conditions and rhabdomyolysis (rapid breakdown of skeletal muscles). When there is tissue damage, the cells release potassium, which then accumulates in the bloodstream. As a result, the level of potassium in blood rises, even though the kidneys are functioning properly. However, hyperkalemia caused by tissue damage is not very common. Apart from these, some other possible causes are, excessive intake of potassium rich foods and overuse of potassium supplements, alcoholism, type 1 diabetes and use of medications like, ACE inhibitors and certain diuretics such as, amiloride and spironolactone.

Hyperkalemia Symptoms
This condition may not produce any symptoms, especially if potassium level is not too high. Symptoms can be observed only when the potassium level is significantly elevated. However, many of the symptoms of elevated potassium in blood are not very specific to the condition. Such symptoms are, tiredness or weakness, muscle weakness, malaise, palpitation, chest pain, diarrhea and nausea. If the level of potassium in blood is too high, it can lead to some serious complications like, slow pulse rate, irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia, paralysis and cardiac arrest or absence of heartbeat.

Hyperkalemia Treatment
The treatment depends on the severity of the condition. If the level of potassium in blood is too high, and the condition manifests as severe symptoms, then the treatment would require immediate intravenous administration of calcium, glucose and insulin. Along with these, sodium bicarbonate, diuretics and cation exchange resin medications such as, polystyrene sulfonate are employed for treatment. If these treatment options fail to bring back the level of potassium to normal, then physicians can opt for dialysis.

It is important to ascertain and treat the underlying causes for long-term management of the condition. At the same time, it is equally important to limit the consumption of high potassium foods, and avoid alcohol and caffeine for effective long-term management of this condition. If not treated and controlled properly, it can lead to some serious complications. So, if you observe any of the severe symptoms of hyperkalemia such as, irregular heartbeat, palpitations, nausea and abnormal muscle fatigue and weakness, then please contact your physician at the earliest and get such symptoms properly evaluated.