Potassium is an important electrolyte in the body's cells. Its functions include helping stimulate muscle contractions, maintain an appropriate fluid balance, and preserve the acid-base balance in the blood. Low potassium can cause weakness, fatigue, muscle cramps and abnormal heart rhythms. Platelets are the blood cells in charge of clotting off blood in response to tissue injury. A low platelet count can increase the risks of spontaneous bleeding.
Causes of Low Potassium
According to MayoClinic.com, the most common causes of low potassium are increased losses in the urine or the gastrointestinal tract. The urinary losses occur when taking certain diuretics, medicines used to treat hypertension or high blood pressure; chronic kidney failure; and primary aldosteronism, a condition in which the adrenal glands secrete too much aldosterone, a hormone responsible for maintaining the sodium and potassium balance in the bloodstream. Too much aldosterone results in increasing excretion of potassium in the urine. The gastrointestinal losses results from severe vomiting and diarrhea, either from eating disorders like bulimia; from illnesses like gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu; and from excessive ingestion of laxatives.
Causes of Low Platelets
A low platelet count results from either increased destruction or decreased production of the platelets. According to Lab Tests Online, increased destruction can result from certain medications, like acetaminophen and sulfa antibiotics; and from autoimmune disorders like lupus in which the body attacks its own tissues. Another reason for decreased platelets is splenic sequestration, in which the platelets pool within the spleen, decreasing the number of circulating platelets in the blood stream. Other disorders speed the consumption of platelets during the clotting process. Conditions that increase platelet consumption include hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can result in kidney failure and decrease the platelets' numbers.
Causes of both Low platelets and Low Potassium
There are only a handful of conditions that can cause both conditions to occur at the same time. Viral illnesses can cause both vomiting and diarrhea, resulting in low platelets, and suppression of the bone marrow production of platelets. The bone marrow is the tissue within bones that produces blood cells, including platelets. Viruses can infiltrate the bone marrow and impair the production of platelets. Overdose with certain drugs, for example acetaminophen, can cause a decrease in both platelets and potassium.
