Potassium is necessary for smooth and skeletal muscle contraction. It is also needed for heart muscle contraction. It is found in the bloodstream and inside the cells. Abnormally low levels of potassium in the blood is called hypokalemia. It may...
Potassium is an essential mineral in the human body. When blood levels of this mineral run low, potassium chloride supplements or certain foods high in potassium are taken to build these levels to normal values. Potassium chloride comes in an...
Low potassium levels, also called hypokalemia, can affect people of all ages. Sometimes the condition is the result of a temporary condition--for example, if you perspire a lot during sports or intense exercise and you don't replace the water...
Potassium plays an important role in the growth and functioning of muscles and nerves and is found throughout the blood. Normal blood levels of potassium range from 3.5 to 5 milliequivalents per liter. Lower levels of potassium, which can develop...
Low blood potassium is a condition called hypokalemia. Approximately 98 percent of the body's potassium stores are located within cells in what is known as intracellular fluid, or ICF, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." A...
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...
Hypokalemia is a condition caused by a potassium deficiency in the blood. Potassium is a mineral that is essential to our cell and organ function. According to The National Institute of Health, this metabolic disorder is caused by excessive...
Low levels of potassium in the blood, a condition known as hypokalemia, may be deadly, because potassium is needed for healthy nerve and muscle function. Low potassium may disrupt the heartbeat. Normally, blood levels of potassium are between 3.6...
Potassium is a mineral found inside body cells. Potassium is essential to maintaining proper function of all cells, tissues and organs in the human body. Low potassium in the blood is a metabolic condition, clinically known as hypokalemia. It can...
Potassium is an electrolyte essential in the function of muscles and nerves. Along with sodium, it maintains the body's water and pH balances, sustaining blood pressure and other physiologic processes. Hypokalemia is the clinical name for low...
Hypokalemia is a medical condition characterized by unusually low potassium levels and occurs most commonly in people who overuse diuretics or have kidney disease or an eating disorder. Low potassium levels arise when your blood levels of this...
The minerals potassium and magnesium are both important electrolytes necessary for proper body function. Potassium works in the maintenance of water balance in your body, as well as in the activation of muscles and nerves. Magnesium is also needed...
Potassium is a crucial electrolyte responsible for the resting phase of muscles. On the other hand, bilirubin is the by-product of red blood cell breakdown found in bile. Under normal circumstances, these two substances would not be compared,...
Potassium and sodium are both essential elements to your body's health. According to the Mayo Clinic, potassium helps maintain the normal functioning of your nerves and muscles, including your heart. Although potassium levels naturally fluctuate,...
Low potassium, also referred to as hypokalemia, can be caused by several medical conditions, including kidney disease and diuretic use. Low potassium levels can cause several symptoms, including weakness, muscle cramping, sweating, nausea,...
An abnormally low level of the mineral potassium is called hypokalemia. Because potassium is needed for normal function of both muscle cells --- including those within the heart --- and nerve cells, low levels can be problematic. As explained by...
Hypokalemia is the medical term for low levels of potassium in the blood. Because potassium is essential for proper nerve and muscle function, very low levels of potassium can cause serious problems. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of low...
Potassium plays a vital role in maintaining good health. It helps maintain the correct balance of water in the body, aids enzymes to function properly and supports nerve function and muscle contraction. Having too low of a level of potassium in...
Diabetes mellitus, refers to the abnormal handling of sugar by the body which leads to elevated sugar levels in the blood. Every year 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed. Diabetes is caused by lack of insulin production or by a...
Potassium, a mineral abundant in a normal diet, functions as an electrolyte in your body. Electrolytes conduct electrochemical signals that regulate many functions in your body, including those of muscle and nerve cells, as MayoClinic.com...
Potassium belongs to a class of nutrients known as macro-minerals. This essential element plays a role in many biological functions including blood pressure control, fluid balance, and muscle contraction. Fluctuations in blood potassium levels are...
The minerals potassium and magnesium play a role in cellular integrity, function and energy production. Also called hypokalemia, potassium deficiency presents when vomiting, diuretic use or kidney disease leech the body of potassium stores....
Potassium is a mineral that is essential in bodily functioning. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it is a mineral that is involved in the functioning of cells, tissues and organs; it is also an electrolyte that conducts...
Potassium is an electrolyte and an important mineral for the proper function of all cells, tissues and organs in the body. According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily intake of potassium for an average adult is about 4,700...
Sodium and potassium are electrolytes -- the electricity-conducting minerals or salts in your body that help maintain fluid balance and regulate muscle and nerve function. Normal potassium levels run from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L and normal sodium levels...
Your body uses vitamin B12 to make DNA and nerve and blood cells. Most people get an adequate supply of the vitamin from the foods they eat. Vitamin B12 deficiencies are not common, because the body stores the excess supply, according to...
In the body, potassium is an electrolyte, meaning each atom of potassium is electrically charged. Potassium plays an important role in electrical conduction in the body. Individual cells use electrical conduction in the body to perform various...
Numerous biological processes utilize the mineral potassium, including digestion, muscle contraction and heart function. Many foods contain potassium, and most people ingest enough potassium through diet. The most frequent causes of low potassium...
Electrolytes such as potassium are important in the body because they help maintain the small electrical charge that cells need to function properly. Potassium and other electrolytes are especially important for muscle cells and neurons, as these...