Hyperkalemia, (High Blood Potassium) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

This book describes Hyperkalemia, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Hyperkalemia is termed high Potassium in the blood.

Normal blood potassium ranges from 3.5 to 5.5 mmol per liter.

Extra-cellular potassium level represents only 2 per cent of the total body potassium.

Potassium has a major presence in the intracellular volume of cells and intracellular osmolarity.

It is an also an important cofactor in many metabolic actions.

The resting membrane potential and excitable tissues such as nerves are mostly determined by ratio of intracellular to extra-cellular potassium concentrations.

Plasma and extra-cellular potassium levels are involved by many factors particularly acid based balance.

Acidosis moves potassium out of cells while alkalosis shifts potassium into cells.

Potassium is an important electrolyte for nerve and muscle cell functioning, particularly for muscle cells in the heart.

The kidneys regulate the body's potassium levels, allowing for excess potassium to leave the body through urine or sweat.

While potassium is important to the health, receiving too much of the nutrient can be just as bad as, or worse than, not getting sufficient.

Normally, the kidneys maintain a healthy balance of potassium by discharging excess potassium out of the body.

For many reasons, the level of potassium in the blood can become too high.

Whether the patient has mild or severe hyperkalemia, the patient should get prompt medical attention to prevent possible complications.

Hyperkalemia happens with impaired renal function

Causes

Excess potassium in the bloodstream can happen due to diseases of the kidneys or adrenal glands and from certain medicines.

Hyperkalemia can also be the result of potassium moving out of its normal location within cells into the bloodstream.

The majority of potassium within the body is located within cells, with only a small amount located in the bloodstream.

A number of disorders can induce potassium to move out of the cells into the blood circulation, thereby raising the measured level of potassium in the blood, even though the total amount of potassium in the body has not altered.

Diabetic ketoacidosis, an emergency that can form in people with type I diabetes, is a disorder in which potassium is drained out of cells and into the bloodstream.

In the same way, any disorder in which there is massive tissue destruction can cause elevated levels of blood potassium as the injured cells release their potassium.

Certain kinds of trauma can raise the potassium levels as well.

Extra potassium leaks from these body cells into the bloodstream.

Burns or crush injuries where a large number of muscle cells are damaged can produce these effects.

1. Trauma,
2. Burns,
3. Surgical procedures,
4. Destruction of tumor cells or red blood cells, and
5. Rhabdomyolysis (a condition involving the destruction of muscle cells that is sometimes associated with muscle injury, alcoholism, or drug abuse).

The difficulty in drawing blood from veins for testing can traumatize red blood cells, releasing potassium into the serum of the blood sample to produce a falsely elevated reading of hyperkalemia on the blood test.

Kidney failure is the most frequent cause of high potassium.

When the kidneys fail or don't function properly, they can't remove extra potassium from the body.

This can lead to potassium buildup.

Any disorder that reduces kidney function can cause hyperkalemia, since the kidneys get rid the excess potassium from the body by excreting it in the urine.

Diagnosis is a elevated blood potassium test and abnormal ECG findings.

The best treatment is hemodialysis.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Hyperkalemia
Chapter 2 Causes
Ch

Dettagli