Potassium is an electrolyte that is essential for full body functioning. It ensures that your heart, lungs, muscles and a variety of other organ systems work properly. If your body does do not have enough potassium -- a condition called hypokalemia -- problems can occur. One such problem is flaccid paralysis. Flaccid paralysis is a condition in which your muscles are so weak you cannot move them at all.
Hypokalemia and Flaccid Paralysis
Paralysis due to hypokalemia is not usually seen until potassium levels get extremely low, typically under 2.0 mol/L. When levels become this low, glycogen and blood flow to your muscles decrease, according to a review published in the April 1995 issue of "Indian Pediatrics." This results in progressive muscle weakness. Flaccid paralysis usually begins as an extreme weakness in which you are unable to use your muscles to push against resistance. Eventually, you lose your ability to walk and then to move at all. In extreme cases, this kind of paralysis can affect the respiratory muscles, resulting in respiratory failure and death.
Causes
The cause of hypokalemia induced paralysis can vary greatly and can be anything that causes your potassium levels to drop suddenly. In children and elderly people, severe and persistent vomiting or diarrhea is a common cause. Both vomiting and diarrhea cause your body to lose both water and minerals, including potassium. Certain drugs, particularly diuretics, can also produce a significant loss of potassium in a short period of time. Chronic medical conditions, including problems with kidney function and certain kinds of cancer, are also possible causes.
Treatment
Treatment involves restoring potassium levels to normal. If your potassium is low enough that you're experiencing paralysis, oral potassium supplements are usually not enough. In this case, potassium is given through an IV directly into your vein. Once your potassium levels have stabilized, treatment shifts towards taking care of the underlying condition. Medications may be given to stop vomiting and diarrhea if this is the problem. Chronic illnesses typically require long-term follow-up care to prevent a recurrence of hypokalemia.
Prevention
Although it may not be possible to prevent every instance of hypokalemia and its resulting paralysis, you can take certain steps to reduce the likelihood that you'll have to deal with this problem. It's important that you get enough potassium through your diet to each day. The average healthy adult should take in 4,700 mg of potassium a day, according to the Institute of Medicine. If you are losing fluids through rigorous exercise, vomiting or diarrhea, drink an oral rehydration solution to replace the fluid you're losing. If you cannot keep down any liquids, make sure to call your doctor immediately.
Dietary Sources of Potassium
There are a variety of foods you can eat to maintain an adequate potassium level. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, beet greens and tomato paste all have over 600 mg of potassium per serving, according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Other foods high in potassium include yogurt, spinach, halibut, white beans, bananas, and blackstrap molasses.
References
- "Epidemiologic Reviews"; Differential Diagnosis of Acute Flaccid Paralysis and Its Role in Poliomyelitis Surveillance; Arthur Marx, et al.; 2000
- "QJM: An International Journal of Medicine"; Severe Hypokalaemia in a Chinese Male; Y. F. Lin, et al.; October 2002
- "Indian Pediatrics"; Neuromuscular Manifestations of Diarrhea Related Hypokalemia; A. Chhabra, et al.; April 1995
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes
- Health.gov: Food Sources of Potassium
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