Potassium is an electrolyte in the body that helps to facilitate muscle and nerve function. Your body relies on the proper balance of potassium and sodium to perform these and other functions. If your potassium levels become too high, you can experience a number of adverse muscle functions, including muscle cramping. Because hyperkalemia can be threatening to your overall health, and the sign of an underlying medical condition, it's important to recognize the symptoms.
Abnormal Levels
If your physician suspects you have abnormally high potassium levels, he may perform a blood test to determine your overall potassium levels. Normal potassium levels vary between 3.6 and 4.8 mEq/L. If your potassium levels exceed 6.0 mEq/L this can be a life-threatening condition. Your physician will likely recommend hospitalization to correct your potassium levels and reduce your overall symptoms associated with high potassium levels.
Action
Abnormally low or abnormally high potassium levels can cause muscle cramping. This is because several types of muscle cramping exist. Think of muscle cramping like the decibel meter on a sound system that rises and falls. Normal messages should exchange potassium that signals the contraction of the muscle, followed by normal releases that relax the muscle. In the instance of too much potassium your muscles start to cramp and begin to behave irregularly. The added potassium in your system can cause your muscle to contract rapidly or can cause them to fail to relax, both of which contribute to muscle cramping.
Underlying Conditions
Sometimes hyperkalemia and muscle cramps can be the result of an underlying medical condition where your body cannot properly filter potassium, such as acute or chronic kidney failure because your kidneys are responsible for filtering potassium from the body. Type 1 diabetes, Addison's disease, alcoholism, abusing potassium supplements or taking angiotensin-converting enzyme can also lead to high potassium levels.
Additional Symptoms
High potassium levels can be difficult to diagnose because they often don't cause symptoms until your levels become very high. In addition to muscle cramping, you also can experience symptoms like changes in heartbeat, nausea, weakness and loss of consciousness. If you do experience these symptoms, seek medical attention. If you have a condition like kidney disease, high potassium levels can indicate the need to adjust your diet or medications to address changes in kidney function. Because high potassium levels can affect your heartbeat and lead to cardiac arrest, seeking treatment when you experience symptoms like muscle cramping is vital.
References
- Colorado State University; Potassium and Health; J. Anderson, et al.; August 2008
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Potassium; Steven Ehrlich; May 2009
- Mayo Clinic; Hyperkalemia; December 2009
- American Academy of Family Physicians; Hyperkalemia; Dr. Joyce Hollander-Rodriguez, et al.; January 2006
- "The New York Times"; Hyperkalemia; November 2009
