Dear Reader,

Hyperkalemia, also known as high potassium or hyperpotassemia, is a condition resulting from abnormally high levels of potassium in the blood. Potassium is used by the body for muscle contraction, enzyme reactions, and maintenance of normal pH and water balance, and may possibly regulate blood pressure levels. Our kidneys help maintain normal potassium balance in the blood by filtration, reabsorption, and excretion of excess potassium in the urine with the aid of the hormone aldosterone.

If the above-mentioned potassium-balancing processes become impaired, or if your kidneys fail to work properly (for example, from kidney, or renal, failure), then you may develop hyperkalemia. This risk is higher if there's too much potassium in your diet, such as from using salt substitutes. In addition, certain medications, like diuretics that conserve potassium (i.e., spironolactone, amiloride, or triameterene), and intravenous potassium supplementation in particular, also may result in hyperkalemia.⁴

If you believe you're at risk for hyperkalemia and experience any of the following symptoms, visit your health care provider immediately since hyperkalemia can be a serious, and possibly life-threatening, condition if not treated in time:

• weakness
• abnormal body sensations
• paralysis
• irregular heartbeat
• weak, slow pulse rate
• difficulty breathing⁴

Any condition of this type needs to be reviewed by your health care provider before any steps are to be taken. Based on her/his evaluation, s/he will recommend an appropriate treatment plan for you depending on the severity of your hyperkalemia. This can involve first reducing your body's total potassium levels, and then addressing and treating the cause(s) of your hyperkalemia.

Alice

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