if a persons potassium level is low what kind of problems can this cause?

Question

low potassium levels,what kind of bad affect can this cause a person

what are some of the side effects of having low potassium levels.if this problem keeps occuring what could be the reason for this?

Answer 1

low potassium-called hypokalemia is mostly seen in patients in the hospital and trauma patients (people that have been in car accidents,assualted,etc)

potassium controls the functions of the heart and muscles in the body. normal levels are 3.5-5.0. it controls the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, the muscles of the chest and arms/legs,and the heart.

the low levels mostly effect the electrical rythmn of the heart. they can cause ekg changes and suppression (slowing down) or stopping of the electrical activity in the heart, causing it to stop beating....

most common cause of hypokalemia is kidney disfuntion. your kidneys are responsible for filtering the minerals and vitamins in our bodies-expelling what we don't need into the bladder to be expelled in our urine and returning what we do need back into the blood stream to be circulated. if the kidneys are not functioning right, too much potassium can be excreted when we urinate, causing the levels in our bodies to be too low.

certain medications can cause it as well, such as lasix-which is a diuretic-it increases urine excretion in our bodies.

potassium is mostly stored within our cells in the body.98% is stored inside the cell itself and 2% on the outside of the cell. when a person is in an auto accident or is severly injured-any tissue damage causes these cells to also be injured,which results in a potassium shift-the potassium inside the cells escapes to the outside and into our bloodstream. the blood test that is taken to measure the potassium levels in our blood only tests the inner-cell level. so when the potassium escapes-the levels will be lower...

side effects of hypokalemia are weakness,nausea,tingling sensations,fatigue and in severe cases slow heartrate and weak pulse....

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Nausea & Vomiting
Muscle Cramps
Fatigue
Irregular Heart Beat
Frequent Urination
Low BP-Which can lead to fainting
Thirsty All The Time
Confusion

Answer 4

i agree with slow learner. i learned about it the hard way by actually ending up with a low potassium level which i was given and told to eat bananas, tomatoes, strawberries

Answer 5

I have a friend who feels that he lacks potassium. He takes a banana before he goes to bed. He says it helps to calm him down.

Answer 6

Dont know. But eat more milk and egg!

Answer 7

lack of bananas

Answer 8

It can cause heart arrhythmia....which can cause cardiac arrest and death.