Hypokalemia

Question: hypokalemia? What reason could i have hypokalemia? I eat very healthy, i'm not under any stress, i work out sensibly at the gym . My kidneys are functioning fine. Anyone got any other ideas ? Hi, i have read the long anwser LOL i havent used any water drugs and also havent had vomiting or diarrhea. I also dont drink alcohol. LOL It's a mystery for me ! good idea about the gym. i have only been going to the gym for 3 months, my potassium level droped twice a few weeks beofire starting the gym and last week

Answer: Hypokalemia is most commonly caused by the use of diuretics. Diuretics are drugs that increase the excretion of water and salts in the urine. Diuretics are used to treat a number of medical conditions, including hypertension (high blood pressure), congestive heart failure, liver disease, and kidney disease. However, diuretic treatment can have the side effect of producing hypokalemia. In fact, the most common cause of hypokalemia in the elderly is the use of diuretics. The use of furosemide and thiazide, two commonly used diuretic drugs, can lead to hypokalemia. In contrast, spironolactone and triamterene are diuretics that do not provoke hypokalemia. Other commons causes of hypokalemia are excessive diarrhea or vomiting. Diarrhea and vomiting can be produced by infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Due to a variety of organisms, including bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, diarrhea is a major world health problem. It is responsible for about a quarter of the 10 million infant deaths that occur each year. Although nearly all of these deaths occur in the poorer parts of Asia and Africa, diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of infant death in the United States. Diarrhea results in various abnormalities, such as dehydration (loss in body water), hyponatremia (low sodium level in the blood), and hypokalemia. Because of the need for potassium to control muscle action, hypokalemia can cause the heart to stop beating. Young infants are especially at risk for death from this cause, especially where severe diarrhea continues for two weeks or longer. Diarrhea due to laxative abuse is an occasional cause of hypokalemia in the adolescent or adult. Enema abuse is a related cause of hypokalemia. Laxative abuse is especially difficult to diagnose and treat, because patients usually deny the practice. Up to 20% of persons complaining of chronic diarrhea practice laxative abuse. Laxative abuse is often part of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Hypokalemia that occurs with these eating disorders may be life-threatening. Surprisingly, the potassium loss that accompanies vomiting is only partly due to loss of potassium from the vomit. Vomiting also has the effect of provoking an increase in potassium loss in the urine. Vomiting expels acid from the mouth, and this loss of acid results in alkalization of the blood. (Alkalization of the blood means that the pH of the blood increases slightly.) An increased blood pH has a direct effect on the kidneys. Alkaline blood provokes the kidneys to release excessive amounts of potassium in the urine. So, severe and continual vomiting can cause excessive losses of potassium from the body and hypokalemia. A third general cause of hypokalemia is prolonged fasting and starvation. In most people, after three weeks of fasting, blood serum potassium levels will decline to below 3.0 mM and result in severe hypokalemia. However, in some persons, serum potassium may be naturally maintained at about 3.0 mM, even after 100 days of fasting. During fasting, muscle is naturally broken down, and the muscle protein is converted to sugar (glucose) to supply to the brain the glucose which is essential for its functioning. Other organs are able to survive with a mixed supply of fat and glucose. The potassium within the muscle cell is released during the gradual process of muscle breakdown that occurs with starvation, and this can help counteract the trend to hypokalemia during starvation. Eating an unbalanced diet does not cause hypokalemia because most foods, such as fruits (especially bananas, oranges, and melons), vegetables, meat, milk, and cheese, are good sources of potassium. Only foods such as butter, margarine, vegetable oil, soda water, jelly beans, and hard candies are extremely poor in potassium. Alcoholism occasionally results in hypokalemia. About one half of alcoholics hospitalized for withdrawal symptoms experience hypokalemia. The hypokalemia of alcoholics occurs for a variety of reasons, usually poor nutrition, vomiting, and diarrhea. Hypokalemia can also be caused by hyperaldosteronism; Cushing's syndrome; hereditary kidney defects such as Liddle's syndrome, Bartter's syndrom, and Franconi's syndrome; and eating too much licorice.

Question: What doctors work with people with chronic hypokalemia and paralysis due to it? Been to a neurologist, who else would specialize in hypokalemia? I have paralysis due to low potassium, he helps with not being able to talk, walk, chew and swallow...I need a docotr that can help with the low potassium, because watching my food isn't doing it anymore for me anymore

Answer: Hypokalemia is a decreased potassium level, so I don't know why you would have gone to a neurologist for it! You might have a problem with your kidneys (which should be conserving potassium.) You should be able to increase your potassium levels by eating foods that are rich in potassium or by taking potassium salts (potassium chloride) orally. You should see a urologist.

Question: What is the difference between hypokalemia and hypokalemia periodic paralysis?

Answer: Hypokalemia = Low levels of potassium in the blood--for WHATEVER reason (usually a kidney or thyroid problem). Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis = HKPP = A rare genetic disorder that causes potassium to shift into the cells (not out of the body). Surprise! With HKPP, the potassium level doesn't HAVE to shift out of the normal range to cause weakness or paralysis--it is the relative downward SHIFT that causes the muscle cell membranes to depolarize. I have HKPP and have been virtually paralyzed (very weak, unable to walk, hard to breath) by a drop from 4.2 to 3.6 (with low normal at 3.5). There is a fairly good test for HKPP called a CMAP or Compound Muscle Amplitude Potential test. It is very safe and about 90% accurate. Do NOT let anyone give you an insulin/glucose challenge to test for HKPP. If you actually DO Have HKPP, the insulin/glucose challenge could KILL YOU! Trust me on this one, your doctor will NOT be prepared for the type of nasty paralysis this test can cause. Don't risk it when the CMAP is easier, safer and more accurate.

Question: Any correlation between hypokalemia and a bad gall bladder? Is there any correlation between a bad gall bladder and Crohn's disease or any correlation between Crohn's disease and hypokalemia? My potassium keeps dropping...I am not eating a lot but I am also not getting sick enough to have what I do eat cause the loss of potassium. I am vomiting about 1-3xday and had severe diarrhea about 3 weeks ago but I haven't had any of that for about 10 days....this is the 2nd time my potassium has nosedived.

Answer: Homeopathic treatment can help you over come that deficiency once and for all ! Please feel free to contact me if you need my help ! Take care and God Bless !

Question: What's wrong with me?! I went to the ER on Friday and after blood work, they said I had hypokalemia!? They started freaking out because they level was 2.2. The reason I went in the first place is because I was so tired all the time, my hair has been falling out in large clumps, I've had diarrhea more often than not over the past 3-4 years, and I have these weird red lesion looking things starting to appear at random places on my body. Plus, I went to go donate blood at Carter and they told me I couldn't because my iron was too low. They've told me this twice over the past 4 months. My husband cooks all of our meals and we are eating the same as we have always been. We don't eat junk food. We eat relatively healthy. I have even been taking supplements because of the iron thing. I have high blood pressure and Generalized Anxiety. I take HCTZ, Inderal, Zoloft, Seroquel, Topamax, and sometimes Klonopin. They took me off the HCTZ. Now since I've been home, I have diarrhea like 6 or more times a day. I'm worried my K+ will drop to a dangerous level before I go in again! I've had my thyroid checked about 30 times...literally. They got it up to 3.5 before they let me out of the hospital. I go back on Friday.

Answer: A potassium of 2.2 is dangerous..especially if you are having diarrhea...which can lower it even more. It might have been due to the HCTZ (likely), so stopping this helps. But it may not be due to the HCTZ...and could contiue to drop. Either way, you need it rechecked ASAP to make sure it is coming back up... And you may need to go back to the hospital to be admitted to correct this level and get a further workup for what is going on...! Make sure you get your thyroid checked, too (a TSH)...to make sure you are not hyperthyroid... I hope everything works out for you and that you start feeling better! -

Question: Can Hypokalemia increase the risk of digoxin toxcity without increasing the digoxin levels? Or does hypokalemia increase digoxin levels

Answer: as quoted from Davis' Drug Guide for Nurses "Use cautiously in electrolye abnormalities (hypokalemia, hypercalcemia, and hypomagnesia may predispose to toxicity). Hope that helps!

Question: Are headaches associated with hypokalemia/ low potassium? I have a 15 yr old daughter thad has severe muscle cramps in her legs and arms, constant stomach pain, cramps and occasional rapid heart beat, and had low potassium levels about 3 months ago, now she is getting headaches just about every othr day, could this be related to low potassum levels? There is no history of any eating disorders, although she did have graves disease when she was 12. Her levels were cheches 2 mo. ago and they were fine.

Answer: All her symptoms, except for the headaches, could be related to her hypokalemia. But, her low potassium may be related to hypertension (high blood pressure) and that could be associated with headaches. But I have a more important question. In a 15 year old girl, is there any chance that she could be bulemic or anorexic? Abuse of laxatives and/or frequent emesis and poor diet could also be a cause of hypokalemia.

Question: Can you tell me how to avoid hypokalemia?

Answer: Eat more bread, cereals and other grain products. Best source - baked sweet potato