Hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia is the medical term that describes a potassium level in your blood that's higher than normal. 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. • What is hyperkalemia? National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/what-hyperkalemia. Accessed Oct. 4, 2017. • Potassium, serum. Mayo Medical Laboratories. https://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/81390.%20Accessed%20Oct.%201. Accessed Oct. 4, 2017. • Potassium. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/potassium/tab/test/. Accessed Oct. 4, 2017. • Mount DB. Cause and evaluation of hyperkalemia in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 4, 2017. • Hyperkalemia. Merck Manual Professional Version. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/electrolyte-disorders/hyperkalemia. Accessed Oct. 4, 2017. • Wilkinson JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 11, 2017.

If you have hyperkalemia, you have too much potassium in your blood. The body needs a delicate balance of potassium to help the heart and other muscles work properly. But too much potassium in your blood can lead to dangerous, and possibly deadly, changes in heart rhythm. Causes Hyperkalemia can happen if your kidneys don’t work properly and cannot remove potassium from your body or if you take certain medicines. Kidney disease is the most common cause of hyperkalemia. Your kidneys help control the balance of potassium in your body. If they don’t work well, they can’t filter extra potassium from the blood or remove it from the body. A hormone called aldosterone tells the kidneys when to remove potassium. Diseases that lower the production of this hormone, such as Addison's disease, can lead to hyperkalemia. Too much potassium in the diet can also contribute to higher levels in your blood, if your kidneys don’t work well or you take certain medicines. Salt substitutes typically contain high amounts of potassium. Foods such as melons, orange juice, and bananas are rich in potassium, too. Some health problems interfere with how potassium moves out of the body's cells. Sometimes, cells release too much potassium. Releasing too much potassium can result from: • Breakdown of red blood cells, called hemolysis • Breakdown of muscle tissue, called rhabdomyolysis • Burns, trauma, or other tissue injuries • Uncontrolled diabetes Conditions that can affect the kidney's ability to remo...

High potassium (called “hyperkalemia”) is a medical problem in which you have too much potassium in your blood. Your body needs potassium. It is an important nutrient that is found in many of the foods you eat. Potassium helps your nerves and muscles, including your heart, work the right way. But too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. It can cause serious heart problems. The most common causes include: • Kidney Disease.Hyperkalemia can happen if your kidneys do not work well. It is the job of the kidneys to balance the amount of potassium taken in with the amount lost in urine. Potassium is taken in through the foods you eat and the liquids you drink. It is filtered by the kidneys and lost through the urine. In the early stages of kidney disease, the kidneys can often make up for high potassium. But as kidney function gets worse, they may not be able to remove enough potassium from your body. Advanced kidney disease is a common cause of hyperkalemia. • A diet high in potassium.Eating too much food that is high in potassium can also cause hyperkalemia, especially in people with advanced kidney disease. Foods such as cantaloupe, honeydew melon, orange juice, and bananas are high in potassium. • Drugs that prevent the kidneys from losing enough potassium. Some drugs can keep your kidneys from removing enough potassium. This can cause your potassium levels to rise. Other (less common) causes include: • Taking extra potassium, such as salt substitutes or supplements...

Hyperkalemia is a condition in which you have high potassium levels in your blood. You may not have any symptoms, or they may be easy to dismiss. Severe symptoms may cause muscle weakness or affect your heart. Treatment includes a low-potassium diet, medications that lower your potassium levels and, in severe cases, dialysis. Overview Hyperkalemia symptoms may be mild and easy to ignore. Severe hyperkalemia symptoms may affect your heart and muscles. What is hyperkalemia? Hyperkalemia is a condition in which the potassium levels in your blood get too high. Potassium is a positively charged • Muscles in your body expand and contract. • • Move waste products out of your cells and nutrients into your cells. • Offset sodium’s (salt’s) effects on your blood pressure. What happens when potassium is high? You get potassium through the foods and drinks you consume. Normally, your kidneys remove extra potassium, which leaves your body through your urine (pee). But if you have too much potassium in your body, your kidneys may not be able to remove all of it, and it can build up in your blood. Too much potassium in your blood can damage your What is a safe or normal potassium level? A typical potassium level for adults is between 3.5 and 5.0 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Hyperkalemia occurs when potassium levels go above 5.5 mmol/L. A potassium level above 6.5 mmol/L can cause heart problems that require immediate medical attention. How common is hyperkalemia? In the general U.S. po...

What is hyperkalemia? Hyperkalemia is a higher than normal level of potassium in the blood. Although mild cases may not produce symptoms and may be easy to treat, severe cases of hyperkalemia that are left untreated can lead to fatal cardiac You may be at risk for hyperkalemia because of: • Chronic kidney disease • • • Medications that disrupt potassium balance, such as certain Less common causes can include: • Massive injury resulting in muscle damage • Burns over large parts of the body • High-volume blood transfusions • HIV and certain other infections • Alcoholism or heavy drug use that breaks down muscle fibers, releasing potassium In some cases, multiple factors may be involved or the cause is never clearly identified. Download our Answers by Heart sheet: How does hyperkalemia affect the body? Potassium is a mineral that is crucial for normal cell function in the body, including heart muscle cells. The body gets potassium through foods. The right level of potassium is key. The kidneys are primarily responsible for maintaining the body’s total potassium content by balancing potassium intake with potassium excretion. If intake of potassium far outweighs the kidneys’ ability to remove it, or if kidney function decreases, there can be too much potassium and hyperkalemia may occur. Potassium and sodium concentrations play a crucial role in electric signal functioning of the heart’s middle thick muscle layer, known as the myocardium. An above normal level of potassium can ...

Often a report of high blood potassium isn't true hyperkalemia. Instead, it may be caused by the rupture of blood cells in the blood sample during or shortly after the blood draw. The ruptured cells leak their potassium into the sample. This falsely raises the amount of potassium in the blood sample, even though the potassium level in your body is actually normal. When this is suspected, a repeat blood sample is done.

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