Prevention Of Hypokalemia

Hypokalemia General Information

Hypokalemia is the name of the medical condition in which the patient presents abnormally low levels of potassium in the blood. The average levels of serum potassium in a healthy adult’s blood are of 3.5 to 5.0 mEq. Normally, the potassium present in the blood represents less than 5% of the total potassium reserves of the organism, the remaining 95% being found inside cells.

Many functions of the human body require potassium, the most important being the nerve and muscle activity. A mild drop of the potassium levels may cause no symptoms and the condition may go unnoticed until the cause of the disorder disappears, allowing the body to replenish its potassium reserves. However, if the potassium blood levels drop to 2.5 – 3 mEq, it is considered that the patient is suffering from mild Hypokalemia; in such cases, he or she may begin to experience symptoms such as weakness and muscle discomfort, disorientation and confusion. Other clinical manifestations are possible as well, but occur less frequently – such as muscle cramps during physical activity or a sensation of discomfort in the legs while the patient is sitting still. The condition is considered severe if the potassium levels drop below 2.5 mEq. In this case the patient will experience extreme weakness in the entire body and flaccid paralysis may occur. In rare situations the patient may die from lung muscle paralysis or from cardiac arrest.

Prevention Of Hypokalemia

Healthy individuals should not be concerned about the implementation of a certain Prevention Of Hypokalemia clinical option, as potassium is known to be present in a wide variety of aliments (foods) and the developing of this medical disorder is unlikely to occur in a healthy patient. However, there are some factors which are known to increase the individual’s risk of developing this clinical disorder. For example, individuals who are currently under a treatment trial that involves the intensive use of diuretics should start to follow a diet which in rich in potassium in order to avoid experiencing a lack of this important electrolyte. Patients who have overdosed with a certain diuretic clinical remedy or who are known to regularly intake abnormally large doses of diuretics may have to study one of the many Prevention Of Hypokalemia guide-books in order to determine how to effectively avoid experiencing an electrolyte imbalance. In such cases, the patient is generally prescribed a therapy with potassium clinical supplements (natural / non-prescription remedies).

If you are interested in acquiring a list which contains the foods that are recommended in the case of patients who are to follow a diet rich in potassium, you should contact your health care provider and ask him or her for further information regarding this matter. You should also consider purchasing a Prevention Of Hypokalemia leaflet (from your personal medical specialist’s office or from the nearest pharmaceutical location), as such medical guide-books are known to contain professional, effective information regarding this matter. The most employed components of such a diet (rich in potassium) are known to include: milk, potatoes, kidney beans, raisins, figs, cantaloupes, tomatoes, bananas, and so on.

The presence of certain clinical disorders is known to increase the patient’s risk of experiencing the unpleasant symptoms that a lack of potassium may cause. This is why we recommend all patients who are suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis, hypo-magnesemia, Gitelman syndrome, Bartter syndrome, and other similar disorders to ask their PD how will the presence of their condition affect their blood potassium levels and also to closely study the Prevention Of Hypokalemia clinical options / tactics. For further information regarding the most commonly employed prophylactic measures against this clinical disorder, we strongly advise you to seek the professional assistance of a medical specialist (a pharmacist, a nurse, a doctor, and so on).

Hypokalemia Treatment

In the treatment of this condition, the most important measure that needs to be taken as soon as possible is to remove the cause of the decrease of the potassium levels – either stopping the medication treatment causing the affection or treating the underlying medical condition. Once the cause has been identified and removed, the treatment may then focus on returning the potassium levels to normal.

In the case of mild Hypokalemia, a potassium-rich diet coupled with nutritional supplements should be sufficient to correct the situation. The patient should consume plenty of milk, potatoes, kidney beans, tomatoes, bananas, figs, cantaloupes and raisins in order to ensure a high dietary potassium intake. Potassium supplements are most commonly taken under the form of pills, and are available at most pharmacies. However, before you are allowed to start the intake of a clinical supplement (including a potassium one) you should seek your personal physician’s consent to do so (although most medical products of this kind are 100% natural, they may harmfully interact with your therapy with other drugs).

Severe cases of Hypokalemia may require administration of intravenous potassium supplementation. In some cases, intravenous administration of potassium supplements may cause the patient to become susceptible to ventricular tachycardia .