Low potassium syndrome, or hypokalemia, is a medical condition that occurs when the amount of potassium in your blood falls below 3.5 milliequivalents per liter, or mEq/L. Without proper levels of potassium in your blood, your muscles and nerves can't function normally. Seek care from your doctor as soon as possible if you exhibit symptoms of low potassium syndrome.
Weakness or Muscle Cramps
Potassium is one of the vital nutrients that tell your muscles when to contract and relax. If you have low potassium syndrome, there's not enough potassium in your body to stimulate proper muscle contraction, which may lead to symptoms of weakness. Your muscles may also contract at involuntary times, causing painful muscle cramps throughout your body. Severely low potassium levels may prevent the muscles of your respiratory tract from bringing enough air into your body or pushing enough carbon dioxide out of your body. Persistent or progressive muscle weakness can negatively affect your ability to move about normally without assistance. Seek care from your physician if you experience sudden or chronic weakness or persistent muscle cramps to ensure you receive prompt and appropriate medical treatment.
Irregular Heart Rate
Your heart is made up of muscle cells that are controlled, in part, by potassium. Like the rest of the muscles in your body, your heart muscle can't contract and relax normally when you don't have enough potassium in your blood. Poor heart muscle contraction leads to heart rate irregularities, which may affect how much blood your heart is able to pump through your body. This symptom of low potassium syndrome may occur more frequently in people who have preexisting heart disease, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Left untreated, heart irregularities may lead to a fatal complication: cardiac arrest. Consult your primary care doctor for further care if you develop any unusual heart rate changes.
Constipation or Stomach Discomfort
Potassium helps regulate how much fluid is absorbed and released throughout your digestive tract. Low levels of potassium may cause the absorption of too much water out of your intestines. Consequently, the digested food products in your intestines may have a difficult time flowing smoothly out of your body. This results in constipation, which may occur in conjunction with bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain or cramping. You may also experience nausea or vomiting.
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