hypokalemic tetany???

Question

my physio teacher asked a fellow student this question.. n she didnt know the answer...
i searched for it in my guyton... n the only answer i cud find was this:
that in alkalosis .. there is hypokalemia
n also in alkalosis .. the the ionized calcium ets bound to the plasma proteins n this can produce tetany!!!!!... so is this the answer or its something else?????????

so is "Alkaosis" the answer?????

Answer 1

if a patient has a low potassium level, involuntary muscle tightening and contractions can occur. potassium is one of the ions responsible for muscle movement. potassium moves in and out of the muscle cell to generate an electrical charge to cause the muscle to move. if your potassium level is low, it interferes with the muscle's ability to function normally.

Answer 2

Hypocalcemia (low calcium levels) is the cause of tetany. In alkalosis caused by hyperventilation (breathing out too much CO2) the balance of Hydrogen ion, negatively charged bicarbonate (-HCO3) and positively charged calcium ion will cause seizure activity not unlike tetany but the cause is reversible if a person rebreaths expelled air preserving this balance.

Hypokalemia has nothing to do with this. It is a word meaning low potassium levels in the blood.

Answer 3

Hypo = low
Calcemic = calcium
Kalemic = potassium
tetany (tetanus) = muscular spasms
Hypocalcemic tetany:
"Muscle spasms caused by low calcium in the blood"

(If they meant calcium, the word would be "calcemic", which is a different word...kalemic = potassium)

Hypokalemic tetany:
"Muscle spasms caused by low potassium in the blood"
"Hypoglycemia"
glycemia = sugar
low blood sugar
"Hypothyroidism"
Low thyroid hormone
"Hyponatremia"
Low blood sodium (salt)

Hope that helps