Hyperkalemia is a condition in which the body's level of potassium increases to unhealthy levels. Potassium is an electrolyte, an electrically charged molecule, important in many of the body's processes including muscle movement, the transmission of signals in the nervous system, and the heart's rhythm. There are several treatments for hyperkalemia including insulin.
Potassium
Potassium is mostly concentrated inside the body's cells. The level of potassium in the blood stream is low, so small changes in this level can have significant health consequences. When a person ingests potassium, several hormones, including insulin from the pancreas and aldosterone from the adrenal glands, help maintain levels in the normal range.
Causes
Most causes of hyperkalemia result from damage to the kidneys. The kidneys are responsible for excreting excess potassium from the blood into the urine. Conditions that can impair the kidney's ability to process potassium include cute kidney failure, chronic kidney failure, glomerulonephritis, which is an inflammation of the tubules within the kidneys that filter blood,; and conditions like kidney stones in which the flow of urine from the kidneys to the bladder is blocked. Other conditions that can cause hyperkalemia include diabetes, dehydration, and infections.
Symptoms
Initially, high potassium may not cause any symptoms.; however, as the level of potassium increases, so does the risk of cardiac toxicity. This is reflected in changes in the EKG, or electrocardiogram, which traces electrical activity of the heart. Hyperkalemia can result in ventricular arrhythmia, or an abnormally fast rhythm that impairs the heart's ability to pump blood to the body. Hyperkalemia can be life threatening if not treated in an appropriate manner.
Treatment
The treatment of hyperkalemia aims to decrease the amount of potassium in the bloodstream by driving it into the cells. One of the medicines used to achieve this is insulin. Insulin works to increase the uptake of potassium back into the cells. Because insulin also works to decrease the levels of glucose, the main sugar in the body, care must be taken to also administer intravenous glucose while using insulin to correct hyperkalemia. Other medicines to treat hyperkalemia include bicarbonate, as well as calcium gluconate, which helps stabilize the heart and prevent arrhythmias.
