High potassium causes, symptoms and treatment | Zyla Health
Our body is a complex biological machine that needs a number of minerals for proper functioning. While some minerals are needed in small amounts which are called microminerals, others are needed in large quantities in the body which are known as macrominerals.
These minerals are important for a healthy body. They play essential roles like maintaining healthy bones, healthy heart, proper oxygen supply to the organs and even slowing down ageing!
There are 7 major minerals needed by our body and these are — calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulphur. Let’s talk about the third most abundant mineral in the body, any guesses? I am talking about Potassium.
In this blog post, we are going to look at what happens when potassium levels increase in the body, high potassium causes, symptoms and treatment. Let’s see how important potassium is in our bodies.
Potassium and its importance
Potassium is a major nutrient that is present in the body for its dual function. It is a part of the 7 major minerals of the body and also acts as an electrolyte in our body. Electrolytes are particles that carry either negative or positive charges and conduct electricity.
While it does not conduct electricity, it is involved in the conduction of nerve impulses which are important for our body to perform any type of activity, even breathing!
A normal potassium range is considered between 3.5mmol/L to 5.1 mmol/L in adults, though ranges may vary according to different laboratories. High potassium symptoms begin to occur as the value increases beyond this range.
98% of the potassium in our body is located in the body cells. Of this 98%, 80% of potassium is present in our muscle cells and 20% of potassium is in our red blood cells, liver and bones.
Potassium is also important for other functions in our body like:
1. Maintaining the fluid balance in our body
The balance of the fluid inside and outside our body’s cells is maintained by electrolytes like sodium and potassium. So a proper level of potassium is important for a proper fluid balance.
An improper level of fluid might cause the cells to either shrink or burst, both of which are harmful.
2. Maintaining the nervous system
Potassium helps in conducting nerve impulses in our bodies. An exchange between sodium and potassium is carried out and that is how nerve cells communicate with each other.
This communication is important for muscle contractions, heartbeat rhythm and other processes and is disrupted by high potassium causes such as medications, poorly controlled diabetes, etc.
3. Maintaining a healthy heart
Potassium is crucial for the functioning of heart muscles, it moves in and out of the cells in the heart due to which we have a regular heartbeat. Low or high potassium causes irregular heartbeats.
To learn about heart attacks, read our blog, “Being heart attack free, even with diabetes.”
Feel free to reach out to us on the Zyla app or visit our website-Zyla.in for 24*7 personalised holistic care for your health conditions.
Now that you know how important potassium is in your body, let’s look at some food sources you can have to get that potassium power!
Natural sources of potassium
Potassium is found in large quantities in fruits, vegetables and fish like salmon. Some of these food items are easily available in our kitchens so once you know about these, I am sure you will include it in your diet.
1. Oranges and orange juice
- Citrus fruits are well known for their Vitamin C content but they are also rich in potassium.
- A cup of orange juice, which is 498 grams, has as much as 496 mg of potassium in it.
- It is better to have either fresh orange juice or consume the fruit only.
2. Bananas
- A yummy and nutritious fruit, bananas are a commonly known source of potassium.
- If you consume 1 banana in a day, you will have the goodness of 451 mg of potassium.
- It’s fibre content makes you feel full resulting in weight loss, diabetes management and improvement in gut health.
3. Coconut water
- This refreshing and hydrating drink is an amazing source of potassium.
- About 100 ml of coconut water contains 250 mg of potassium.
- It helps in reducing high blood pressure, blood sugar levels and body weight, regulate body temperature and improves skin.
4. White beans
- Beans and lentils are excellent sources of potassium.
- White beans provide as much as 421 mg of potassium in a serving of 130 grams.
- Not only that, beans are a plant-based protein source and are enriched with fibre which is good for your gut health.
5. Potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Potassium is present in both the skin and the flesh of the potato and so it is beneficial to consume it unpeeled.
- A large baked potato weighing 299 grams provides 1600 mg of potassium and a large baked sweet potato weighing 235 grams provides 1110mg of potassium.
6. Spinach
- A highly nutritious green leafy vegetable, spinach is not only rich in potassium but also provides high quantities of vitamin A, Vitamin K, Calcium, and Manganese all of which are important for metabolism, vision health, bone health, and the immune system.
- 180 grams of spinach contains 839 mg of potassium.
7. Curd
- A delicious treat! Curd is packed with good bacteria which is recommended for a healthy gut.
- A cup of curd which is 245 grams, has 380 mg of potassium in it.
Browsing the internet for the nutritional guidance that suits your health conditions? Reach out to us on the Zyla app or visit our website-Zyla.in for more information.
Now that we know what are the dietary sources of potassium, let us look at some of the high potassium causes!
High potassium causes
We are now well aware of the fact that potassium is an important mineral that we need to include in our diet and it should be present in the proper amount in our body.
But you might have heard the quote “ Excess of everything is bad”. Our body works well on a delicate balance of potassium and too much potassium can sometimes have deadly effects.
Having high amounts of potassium is actually a medical condition which is known as hyperkalemia.
Some of the high potassium causes are:
1. Kidney disease
Hyperkalemia can occur if you have health conditions like chronic kidney disease, kidney failure etc, as kidneys are majorly responsible for maintaining potassium balance in the body.
Normally kidneys are responsible for excreting 90% of potassium while 10% is lost in the faecal content.
If you have high creatinine levels, then you can read our blog, “Best treatment for high creatinine”.
2. A potassium-rich diet
Although it is recommended to introduce potassium-rich foods into your diet, consuming too many potassium-rich foods can be one of the high potassium causes in the body, especially in people with kidney problems like chronic kidney disease (CKD) or diabetic nephropathy.
3. Drugs prevent kidneys from losing potassium
Another high potassium cause can be the medications you take to treat health conditions like blood pressure:
- Angiotensin-Converting enzymes (ACE) inhibitors like Enalapril, Lisinopril, etc
- Angiotensin-Receptor Blockers (ARBs) like Olemsartan, Losartan, Telmisartan etc
- Beta-Blockers like Metoprolol, Propranolol etc
- Potassium Supplements
- Potassium-sparing diuretics like Spironolactone, Triamterene etc
4. Addison’s disease
It is a rare disease in which adrenal glands (these are the glands that sit on top of the kidneys and are responsible for producing hormones like cortisol and aldosterone) are not able to make enough aldosterone.
Aldosterone maintains the sodium and potassium balance in the body. Due to this disease sodium is lost in the urine and potassium is retained in the body leading it to be one of many high potassium causes.
5. Poorly controlled diabetes
People who have diabetes and their blood sugar levels are elevated, have a good chance of having hyperkalemia. If the kidneys get damaged due to uncontrolled sugar levels then a person can develop hyperkalemia.
6. Burns and other severe injuries
One of the high potassium causes can be severe burns and injuries as the body releases potassium in response to such injuries.
Let us take a look at some of the high potassium symptoms which can help us identify if there is a need for further investigations…
High potassium symptoms
High potassium symptoms are usually mild and sometimes even non-existent. These high potassium symptoms gradually develop over weeks or months and often come and go.
Mild symptoms may include:
- Muscle weakness
- Tingling sensation or numbness
For people who have dangerously high potassium, symptoms include:
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Abdominal pain or diarrhoea
When such symptoms appear, the patient is advised to seek immediate medical attention and to not ignore such signs, especially in patients who have any kidney or heart diseases or diabetes.
Hyperkalemia diagnosis
A blood test can diagnose the potassium levels in your blood. It is important to get routine blood tests done especially for patients who have one or more medical conditions or who are above the age of 50.
Your doctor might perform a complete physical checkup, evaluate your high potassium causes & symptoms, ask about your diet, family history, medicines that you take and plan treatment on the basis of those. We urge you not to ignore any of these high potassium symptoms, if you have any and inform your doctor about them.
Looking to get a comprehensive analysis of your blood test reports? Feel free to reach out to us on the Zyla app or visit our website-Zyla.in for blood test analysis and personalised recommendations tailored for you!
Hyperkalemia treatment
In case you have been diagnosed with hyperkalemia, your doctor will advise you to manage your diet. For this, you might need to consult a nutritionist who will plan a low potassium diet according to your needs and medications if you are taking any.
In some cases, special medical treatments might be needed to manage high potassium symptoms in the body. Some of the hyperkalemia treatments are:
1. Water pills or diuretics
These are the pills that remove excess potassium from the body through urine and thus balance the potassium levels.
2. Potassium binders
These are medicines that come in the form of either powders or enemas and work by binding to potassium in the intestines and eventually removing excess potassium in faeces.
3. IV Therapy
High potassium levels which need emergency medical treatment may be treated by IV therapy of calcium to protect the heart.
In addition to this, an IV therapy of insulin and an inhalational therapy of asthma medication called albuterol may be started which thereby reduces the potassium load in the blood.
4. Dialysis
Patients who do not have properly functioning kidneys may undergo hyperkalemia treatment through dialysis in which excess potassium is filtered out in the dialysis machine.
5. Adjustment of your previous medications
Adjustments in medication for high blood pressure, potassium supplements, and herbal supplements may be done by your doctor to prevent hyperkalemia episodes in the future.
You might have heard that “prevention is better than cure”, so why not see some ways, how you can prevent potassium levels from increasing.
Preventing hyperkalemia
If you have a risk of developing hyperkalemia, make sure you read these points carefully:
1. Low potassium diet
The best way to control your potassium levels is to control potassium in your diet. However, potassium needs vary from person to person and so it is important to consult your nutritionist who will adjust your diet as per your requirements.
Even low potassium is harmful so make sure you take a diet as recommended by your nutritionist.
2. Herbal supplements
Certain herbal supplements have ingredients that can be high potassium causes and therefore they should be avoided by hyperkalemia and kidney patients. Make sure you talk about taking them to your doctor and do not take them on your own.
3. Avoid salt substitutes
Certain salt substitutes have high potassium content in them and therefore they should be avoided to maintain potassium levels.
4. Medication advised
It is very important that you follow the medicines prescribed by your doctor for high potassium levels.
Also, take your medicines on time and regularly if you have hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, kidney diseases, heart disease or any other serious problem. By doing so your potassium levels will remain within normal range and you can prevent hyperkalemia.
5. Water
Always a life saviour, water is all you need at times. Dehydration can also lead to high potassium levels so go and drink a glass of water now!
High potassium levels can sometimes be harmful but the good news is that they are reversible and thus can be treated well. We encourage you to get regular lab tests done to detect high levels of potassium at an early stage.
Make sure to have a good and balanced diet and be regular with your medications and exercises. Rest assured, you can manage your elevated potassium levels with proper management, under the guidance of your doctor.
If you’re seeking help to improve your health and want to better manage your health conditions, you can download the Zyla app or visit our website-Zyla.in.
Zyla has a team of 50+ medical experts who can provide personalised treatment through a holistic approach. Start your health journey today!
Stay strong! Stay healthy!
Connect with us:
- Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2o19OzE to watch videos on health and health-related conditions.
- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zylahealth
- Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zylahealth/
- Visit our website: https://www.zyla.in/
- Talk to us on WhatsApp: https://goo.gl/kjofP
