High serum potassium, or hyperkalemia, is dangerous, and it can become fatal if you ignore signs and symptoms of the electrolyte imbalance. Normal serum potassium levels range from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. Hyperkalemia is associated with potassium levels above 6.0 mEq/L. The kidneys are responsible for the excretion of potassium from your body, so hyperkalemia is rare if your kidneys are healthy. However, if you have impaired kidney function, or you are taking a medication that causes your body to retain potassium, you may be at risk for hyperkalemia and its outcomes.
Weakness and Nausea
Because weakness and nausea are broad symptoms attributable to so many things, you may not correlate this symptom to a potentially high level of serum potassium. However, if you are at risk for developing hyperkalemia, you are likely aware of the existence of an underlying disorder or the side effects of a medication you are taking. If this is the case, do not ignore symptoms such as fatigue, weakness and nausea, as they may be the first warning signs that your serum potassium is elevated to a level greater than 6.0 mEq/L. If you experience these symptoms, bring them to your doctor's attention in a timely manner.
Slow or Weak Pulse and Arrhythmia
One of the dangers of hyperkalemia is that there may be no warning signs that the electrolyte is building to a dangerous level in your body, or the symptoms of nausea and weakness may be so vague that you discount them. If left unchecked, elevated potassium levels can cause a slow or weak pulse and a disruption of normal heart rate and rhythm, or cardiac arrhythmia. Although the symptoms associated with these changes in heart rate may possibly be silent, you will likely experience one or more of the following symptoms as listed by MayoClinic.com: "a fluttering in your chest, a racing heartbeat (tachycardia), a slow heartbeat (bradycardia), chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting (syncope) or near fainting." If you begin to experience any of these symptoms, your condition warrants an immediate visit to your doctor.
Cardiac Arrest
If hyperkalemia progresses, and you develop a disruption in the normal rate and rhythm of your heart, you are at dangerous risk of sudden cardiac arrest. In the case of cardiac arrest, your heart rate may become extremely slow and eventually stop, or you may develop a dangerous arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation, which according to Merck, "is a potentially fatal, uncoordinated series of very rapid, ineffective contractions of the ventricles caused by many chaotic electrical impulses." This type of cardiac arrest renders you unconscious within several seconds, and without medical intervention, such as the commencement of CPR or the successful use of a defibrillator, the arrhythmia will be fatal.
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