2007-12-07 06:18:06 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Other - Health
If potassium levels fall very low it is SERIOUS and can lead to cardiac arrest. The only 2 causes of levels as dangerous as this are renal failure and drug induced, usually diuretics.
2007-12-07 10:43:13 · answer #1 · answered by Dr Frank 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Potassium effects all muscles in the body, most important one being your heart. i know people who have hospitalized due to a severe deficiency.
I personally have had an experience lately that I and the dr didn't know what was causing. Every few days my stomach would hurt so bad, like stabbing pain and I would have diarrhea. It became more and more frequent, the dr gave me an antibiotic for intestinal bacteria and told me to eat activia yogurt. Well, that seemed to help but it kept happening and getting more frequent.
I was reading in an old vitamin book I had and it was talking about how a deficiency in potassium could cause symptoms of colitis and cholic and could end up causing a bowel obstruction...then I started taking about 1 mg of potassium a day and within days my bowel habits became normalized and it's been over a month and I have had no spells since...and feel great!
2007-12-07 14:34:21 · answer #2 · answered by chickadee_ajm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Potassium is important to maintain several bodily functions.
* Our arms and legs, for example, need potassium for the muscles to move.
* The heart would not beat without potassium, which is also necessary to regulate blood pressure.
* The kidney is the main organ that controls the balance of potassium. It removes excess potassium into the urine.
* When potassium levels are low, you can become weak as cellular processes are impaired.
2007-12-07 14:22:50 · answer #3 · answered by gilly g 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes it is because every cell in your body is made up of potassium and sodium ions and your body needs the right balance of these to function properly
2007-12-07 14:27:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hypokalemia can be a cause of arrhythmia's in adults. the sodium/potassium pump needs the right amount of electrolytes to work properly.
2007-12-07 14:32:46 · answer #5 · answered by uticaff 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it can have an effect on the function of your heart, but I am no doctor
2007-12-07 14:20:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a low postassium can be very serious, causing irregularities in the functioning of your heart.
2007-12-07 14:21:31 · answer #7 · answered by essentiallysolo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋