Every cell within your body needs potassium. Potassium is necessary for the proper functioning of all cells, tissues and organs. It is also an electrolyte, meaning it conducts electricity along with other minerals such as chloride, calcium, sodium and magnesium. Your body needs potassium for proper digestion, skeletal and smooth muscle contraction and, most importantly, heart function. High potassium levels, or hyperkalemia, can cause dangerous and even fatal heart complications.
Hyperkalemia
Your body normally maintains a potassium level of 3.5 to 4.8 milliequivalents per liter, or mEq/L. When blood tests reveal potassium levels higher than 4.8 mEq/L, it is an indication of hyperkalemia. MayoClinic.com explains that a potassium level greater than 6.0 mEq/L can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical treatment.
Causes
Your kidneys filter excess potassium out of the body through urine. Hyperkalemia occurs because of an increase in potassium intake or due to the kidney's inability to properly filter wastes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Certain disorders increase the likelihood of excess potassium such as kidney failure or infection or an obstruction within the ureter, the tube that carries urine from your kidneys to your bladder.
Your body uses the hormone aldosterone to regulate the kidneys' removal of sodium and potassium. A decrease in aldosterone will cause potassium to shift out of cells and into the bloodstream. A condition known as acidosis can also cause potassium to shift out of cells into the bloodstream. Acidosis is a condition in which there is an increase of acid within the blood and body fluids. Acidosis can occur due to burns, surgery, tumors, traumatic injury, a rapid breakdown of muscle fibers known as rhabdomyolysis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hemolytic conditions in which the blood cells rupture.
Symptoms
Your body must maintain a normal amount of potassium in order to perform cardiac function. The National Institutes of Health explains that while hyperkalemia often has no obvious symptoms, extreme hyperkalemia can cause irregular heartbeat, weak, slow or absent pulses, and nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms of elevated potassium include fatigue, weakness, paralysis, tingling and numbness in the extremities and difficulty breathing.
Complications
Elevated potassium levels can affect the nerves and muscles as well the heart. Persons with hyperkalemia may suffer severe loss of muscle control or damage to nerves. Hyperkalemia may also cause arrhythmias, cardiac arrest and, in some cases, death, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Treatment
Physicians often treat hyperkalemia with a number of drug therapies designed to stabilize heart function and remove excess potassium from the bloodstream and back into the cells as well as encourage the excess removal of potassium through the kidneys. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that calcium chloride can minimize the effects of high potassium levels on the heart. Insulin can shift potassium from the bloodstream back into the cells, as will sodium bicarbonate and beta agonists. Diuretics will help remove potassium through the kidneys and binding resins help exchange potassium and sodium in the gastrointestinal tract.
Prognosis
The outcome of hyperkalemia varies based on several factors such as previous medical history and the patient's kidney function, age and tolerance to medications. Some people will recover quickly with no long-term damage, while others have dangerous and even deadly complications, according to the National Institutes of Health.
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