Potassium is both a dietary mineral and an electrolyte. Your body relies on this vital nutrient for the proper functioning of your organs, tissues and cells. Potassium is crucial to life due to the role it plays in the contraction of muscle tissue and the conduction of nerve cell impulses. Having low levels of potassium in your blood is called hypokalemia, and it can be a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention.
Purpose
The University of Maryland Medical Center states that potassium's primary function in the body is that of an electrolye. The greatest concentration is found within cells rather than the blood or extracellular fluids. As an intracellular electrolye, potassium is an electrically charged substance that helps maintain the internal environment and makes essential chemical and physiological events possible. Your nerves, muscles and heart could not function correctly without potassium.
Normal Levels
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will provide for all your potassium needs. A normal blood level of potassium is approximately 3.6 to 4.8 milliequivalents per liter. Dr. David Weiner and Dr. Charles Wingo state in their article from the "Journal of the American Society of Nephrology" that maintaining correct blood levels of potassium is a balance among intake, excretion and the body's use of potassium. It is normal for an average person to excrete 90 percent of the potassium that he ingests per day mostly via urine.
Causes of Hypokalemia
Hypokalemia usually occurs when potassium containing body fluids are lost in excessive amounts, such as with vomiting or diarrhea. Individuals taking diuretics can experience excessive loss of potassium through the urine. Eating disorders, kidney disease and traumatic injury can also cause hypokalemia. Low levels of potassium are rarely caused by a dietary deficiency.
Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of low levels of potassium include weakness, fatigue, cramping and constipation. Severe hypokalemia can lead to muscular paralysis and abnormal heart rhythms, which can be fatal. Low potassium levels are usually discovered by a blood test that has been given in response to symptoms or a condition that you are already experiencing.
Correction
Management of hypokalemia involves replacing lost potassium with supplements or intravenously and by treating the disorder causing the excess loss. Due to the fact that your heart muscle is extremely sensitive to high blood levels of this electrolyte, extreme caution must be used when supplementing with potassium. An incorrect amount could cause an arrhythmia and have dire consequences. You should never start taking potassium supplements without the guidance and direction of a physician.
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