Potassium High and Low

Potassium High and Low
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What is it?
 Plays a large part in cell metabolism as well as muscle and nerve cell
function
 Most is located inside cells, unlike sodium in the surrounding fluids or blood
What happens if too high?
 Abnormal heart rhythm or cardiac arrest
 Hyperkalemia- > 5.0 mEq per liter of blood
 Above 5.5 affects the heart’s electrical conducting system
 Heart could stop beating
 Some drugs can block the body’s excretion
Sources of potassium:
 Bananas, tomatoes, oranges, melons, potatoes, greens, peas and beans,
potassium supplements, salt substitutes, green leafy vegetables, broccoli
What happens if too low?
 Abnormal heart rhythm or cardiac arrest
 Hypokalemia- < 3.8 mEq per liter of blood
 Kidneys are not functioning properly or too much K+ has been lost through
the GI tract because of vomiting, diarrhea, chronic laxative use, or colon
polyps
 Rarely caused by too little intake of potassium
 Diuretics- cause loss of sodium, potassium and water
 Cushing’s syndrome, Liddle’s syndrome, Bartter’s syndrome, Fanconi’s
syndrome with rare defects of the kidney
 Eating large amount of licorice or chewing certain types of tobacco
What do I need to do?
 See a Health Care Provider
 Talk with a RD
 See FFF RD on line