Hyperkalemia (High Blood Potassium Levels)

Hyperkalemia (High Blood Potassium Levels)

Hyperkalemia (High Blood Potassium Levels)

Hyperkalemia (high blood potassium levels) is usually a condition in that this blood potassium concentration of greater than 5 mEq / L of blood.

Usually high potassium concentration is much more dangerous than low potassium concentrations.

Blood potassium concentration over 5.5 mEq / L will affect the heart's electrical conduction system.

When high concentrations on this continues, abnormal heart rhythms and heart will stop beating.

CAUSE

Hyperkalemia usually takes place when the kidneys do not remove potassium properly.

Perhaps the most common cause of hyperkalemia may be the by using drugs that block potassium disposal because of the kidneys, including triamterene, spironolactone and ACE inhibitors.

Hyperkalemia can be attributable to Addison's disease, the spot that the adrenal glands can not produce the hormone that stimulates the disposal of potassium because of the kidneys in sufficient quantities.

Addison's disease and AIDS patients that have abnormalities in the adrenal glands often lead to hyperkalemia.

Complete or partial kidney failure, can cause severe hyperkalemia.

Therefore people who have poor kidney function should usually avoid foods full of potassium.

Hyperkalemia will also be brought on by considerable amounts of potassium suddenly released from cadangannnya inside the cells.

This can happen when:

- A great deal of muscle tissues destroyed (as happened within the injury crushed)

- Severe burns occurred

- Cocaine overdose.

Volume of potassium in the body can exceed the power on the kidneys to eliminate potassium and cause hyperkalemia which can be fatal.

SYMPTOMS

Mild hyperkalemia causes few symptoms.

Symptoms include irregular heart rhythm, by means of palpitations (heart pounding).

Diagnosis

Hyperkalemia is usually first diagnosed in routine blood tests or due to the discovery of changes in EKG.

TREATMENT

Treatment ought to be done if potassium rises above 5 mEq / L on someone with poor kidney function or above 6 mEq / L inside a person with normal kidney function.

Potassium can be removed on the body over the digestive tube or kidneys or by dialysis.

Potassium is easy to remove with diarrhea and stimulate swallowing sucker resin preparation containing potassium.

This resin is not absorbed from the digestive system, to ensure the potassium outside the body over the feces.

When kidneys function properly, given diuretics to boost spending potassium.

If immediate therapy for this is needed, can be given intravenous solution comprising calcium, glucose or insulin.

Calcium helps protect the very center in the effects of high concentrations of potassium, even though this effect only lasts a few minutes.

Glucose and insulin move potassium from your blood to the cells, thus lowering the concentration of blood potassium.

If this treatment fails or perhaps in case of renal failure, dialysis could possibly be necessary.