What is hypokalemia? Is it serious and what causes low potassium

The human body relies on external intake of potassium, and the daily intake of potassium from food is about 50-100mmol, and 90% is absorbed by the small intestine. The kidneys are the main organs for excreting potassium and regulating potassium balance, and the potassium in the glomerular filtrate is completely absorbed in the proximal convoluted renal tubules, and then the distal convoluted renal tubular cells and collecting duct cells secrete excess potassium and excrete it from the urine, so that potassium is maintained in the body. However, when the body's potassium intake is insufficient, the kidneys cannot significantly reduce potassium excretion, so that potassium is retained in the body, so it is easy to cause potassium deficiency.

The condition can range from mild to severe. Need to go to the hospital to do it**.

The clinical presentation is related to the severity of intracellular and extracellular potassium deficiency and, more importantly, to the rate at which hypokalemia occurs. Serum K+, symptoms are more severe. Potassium deficiency occurs in a short period of time, and symptoms appear rapidly and even cause sudden death.

1) Neuromuscular system.

Presents with neurological and muscle stress deficiency. When serum K+ is present, weakness of the muscles of the limbs may occur, and when it is lower, paralysis may occur, with the muscles of the limbs being the most prominent, and the tendon reflexes are dulled or absent. When respiratory muscles are affected, it can cause dyspnea.

The central nervous system manifests as depression, lethargy, apathy, drowsiness, confusion, and even coma.

2) Digestive system.

Potassium deficiency can cause weakened intestinal peristalsis, and in mild cases, loss of appetite, nausea, and constipation, severe hypokalemia can cause abdominal distension and paralytic bowel obstruction.

3) Cardiovascular system.

When hypokalemia is low, myocardial excitability is usually enhanced, and palpitations and arrhythmias may occur. In severe cases, atrioventricular block, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation may occur, and finally the heart may stop beating in contraction. In addition, it can also cause myocardial hypotonia, heart enlargement, peripheral vasodilation, blood pressure drop, etc.

4) Urinary system.

Long-term hypokalemia can cause potassium-deficient nephropathy and renal dysfunction, decreased renal concentration function, polyuria, and low specific gravity, especially nocturia. This may be due to damage to the distal convoluted tubular cells, decreased response to antidiuretic hormone, and decreased water reabsorption. In addition, after potassium deficiency, bladder smooth muscle tone is reduced, urinary retention may occur, and patients are often prone to pyelonephritis.

5) Acid-base balance disorder.

Hypokalemia can lead to metabolic alkalosis.

There are three causes of common hypokalemia, the first is a low intake, and the most common condition is that some patients with poor diets are right.

The second case is too much loss. There are two ways to lose too much. The first is gastrointestinal losses, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, which can lead to the loss of potassium through the gastrointestinal tract.

The second is through renal losses, such as primary hyperaldosteronism, renal vascular acidosis.

There is also a problem of the balance of blood potassium inside and outside the cells, which is most common in young male hyperthyroidists, so for patients with low blood potassium, we should go to the hospital to determine the cause of low blood potassium.

1. Life bai

Habit issues. 1. Overdrinking.

DU overeating, heavy alcohol consumption 2, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of potassium through the gastrointestinal tract. 3. Eating too much, too sweet, too salty will cause blood potassium to be lost in urine or transferred to the cells and lower blood potassium. 4. It is easy to have a cold attack.

2. Thyroid disease hyperthyroidism may cause hypokalemic periodic paralysis.

3. Familial periodic paralysis.

4. Renal potassium loss. These include renal tubular acidosis, primary hyperaldosteronism, Barrter syndrome, and Gitelman syndrome.

It refers to potassium ions, which can be detected by routine blood ion tests. Diarrhea and vomiting can be followed by low potassium.

Answer: Hello,,, hypokalemia is positive** and generally does not leave sequelae. Hypokalemia is caused by decreased potassium intake or excessive serum potassium loss, and can be restored to the normal range with timely potassium supplementation, and there are generally no sequelae. However, in severe cases, respiratory muscle paralysis, blood pressure drops, cerebral ischemia and hypoxia coma may occur, and there may be sequelae of the nervous system.

Therefore, hypokalemia should be paid great attention to, and if it is early and timely, it will not develop to a serious stage and can avoid the appearance of sequelae.

Condition analysis: It is mainly weak and weak, and there will also be symptoms such as mental fatigue, depression, drowsiness, loss of appetite, nausea, constipation, abdominal distention, palpitation and shortness of breath. , Suggestions:

It is recommended that patients go to the hospital in time to find out the situation, and cooperate with the doctor in time if the problem is found.

The concentration of potassium in the blood is that when it is lower than the following, the following conditions will occur: 1. In the nervous system, there can be weakness and weakness of the limbs, especially in the lower limbs, and then extend to the upper limbs. It also affects the respiratory muscles to a certain extent, causing a certain degree of dyspnea or mental depression, fatigue, apathy, and drowsiness.

2. In terms of digestive system, potassium deficiency can cause weakened intestinal peristalsis, resulting in loss of appetite, nausea and constipation, and severe hypokalemia can cause abdominal distension or paralytic intestinal obstruction. 3. In the cardiovascular system, hypokalemia is generally due to increased myocardial excitability, palpitations, arrhythmias, and in severe cases, atrioventricular block, ventricular tachycardia and even ventricular fibrillation, which can finally lead to cardiac arrest. Therefore, severe hypokalemia requires aggressive potassium supplementation**.

Because of the night shift and long hours off work, I have to sleep in the morning and skip the afternoon canteen at noon, what is the reason for low potassium?

Serum potassium concentrations below 3 5 mmol l are called hypokalemia.

**： 1.Decreased potassium intake. 2.Excessive potassium excretion. 3.Intracellular potassium transferIntracellular potassium transferHypokalemia can occur when extracellular potassium is transferred intracellularly, but the total amount of potassium in the body does not decrease4Crude raw cotton oil poisoning.

Do you know what hyperthyroidism is? If you are low, you will get this disease. Eat more bananas. You can make it up.