Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPotassium in the BodySymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Potassium in the Body
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Hypokalemia refers to a lower-than-normal level ofpotassiumfound through a blood test. Symptoms of hypokalemia include muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, and more.
The condition can result from many different medical problems, including those affecting the kidney or gastrointestinal tract. In some instances, it causes life-threatening problems, likeabnormal heart rhythms.Hypokalemia is treated with oral or intravenous potassium.
This article looks at the symptoms and causes of hypokalemia, including how the condition is treated.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
Potassium is one of the body’s importantelectrolytes. It is dissolved in your body’s fluids—both inside and outside the cells. However, its concentration is much greater inside cells than in the bloodstream itself.
Potassium and other electrolytes play several important physiological jobs, including sending electrical signals via the body’s nervous system. So it’s not surprising that abnormalities in potassium lead to signaling issues in the electrical systems of the heart and in the nervous system.
Hypokalemia Symptoms
Hypokalemia often doesn’t cause any symptoms, especially if it is minor and occurs in otherwise healthy adults. However, if the hypokalemia is severe, itcancause serious symptoms and problems. The nervous system, gastrointestinal system, kidneys, andheartcan all be affected.
Symptoms of hypokalemia include:
Abnormal heart rhythms are one of the most serious potential symptoms, as these can sometimes be deadly. Heart failure is also a possibility. These serious heart problems are much more likely to occur in someone who has underlying heart disease from another cause.
Over the long term, mild but persistent hypokalemia can also worsen other health conditions, such as chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure.
Causes of Hypokalemia
Hypokalemia can occur when something triggers more potassium than normal to move from the blood to inside the cells. In this situation, the total amount of potassium in the body might be normal, but there isn’t enough potassium in the blood. For example, this can happen when a person takes too much insulin.
Potential underlying causes of hypokalemia include:
Some medications that might cause hypokalemia include:
How Common Is Hypokalemia?Hypokalemia is a relatively common medical issue. It may occur in about 20% of hospitalized people and in a much smaller percentage of normal adults.It is the most common type of electrolyte abnormality in hospitalized patients.
How Common Is Hypokalemia?
Hypokalemia is a relatively common medical issue. It may occur in about 20% of hospitalized people and in a much smaller percentage of normal adults.It is the most common type of electrolyte abnormality in hospitalized patients.
Diagnosing Hypokalemia
Hypokalemia may be diagnosed using a blood test.
The normal concentration of potassium in the blood is between 3.5 mmol/L and 5.1 mmol/L. If the concentration is less than that, the individual has hypokalemia. Levels between 3.0 mmol/L and 3.5 mmol/L often don’t cause symptoms. Below 2.5 mmol/L is considered severe hypokalemia.
Hypokalemia itself can be easily diagnosed as part of a common set of blood tests, abasic metabolic panel, or through a slightly larger set of tests called acomplete metabolic panel. These tests check the concentrations of several substances in the blood, including electrolytes like potassium. These panels are often run as part of an initial medical workup or as part of general monitoring while a person is hospitalized.
Urinalysis may also be performed to measure how much potassium is in the urine. This test can help your healthcare provider determine the cause of hypokalemia.
Other Tests
Other tests may also be needed if additional symptoms point to specific underlying causes. They include:
Treating Hypokalemia
Minor cases of hypokalemia may be treated with oral potassium.Oral potassium generally carries less risk of causinghyperkalemia. Depending on the situation, this can be taken over a few days to a few weeks. A variety of different preparations of oral potassium are available, and your healthcare provider can prescribe a specific version.
Trying toincrease potassium intake through the dietmay also be helpful. For example, some of the following foods are high in potassium:
However, oral supplements of potassium for a period are usually needed as well, unless the hypokalemia is very mild.
Intravenous Potassium
Severe cases of hypokalemia require rapid treatment with intravenous potassium. That is the quickest way to get the potassium in the blood up to the normal level.
However, this needs to be monitored with repeat potassium blood tests and sometimes with continuous monitoring via an EKG.If a person is given too much potassium too quickly, it can lead tohyperkalemia, leading to potentially serious symptoms as well.
Seek immediate medical care if you are taking potassium supplements and experience symptoms like muscle weakness, heart palpitations, or a pins and needles sensation. These might be life-threatening signs of severehyperkalemia. You should not keep taking potassium long term unless your healthcare provider advises it.
Addressing Other Underlying Issues
Sometimes it’s also appropriate to adjust medications or treat underlying health conditions that may be contributing to the problem. This includes:
Fortunately, symptoms of hypokalemia usually go away after adequate treatment with potassium. A single instance of hypokalemia doesn’t usually cause long-term problems.
However, it’s important to note that some individuals who experience an abnormal heart rhythm due to hypokalemia do die. For people with an underlying heart condition, likecongestive heart failure, it’s especially important to get hypokalemia treated promptly. That’s because having hypokalemia in addition to such a condition may increase the risk of death.
Summary
Hypokalemia refers to a lower-than-normal level ofpotassiumin the blood. It’s a common medical issue, one often picked up on a laboratory test done for routine testing. Fortunately, it’s usually not a major problem. But it is one that needs to be taken seriously, particularly if it is severe or if you have an existing heart condition.
Symptoms of hypokalemia may include muscle weakness, fatigue, constipation, and irregular heartbeat. If detected, talk to your healthcare team about your treatment plan. The condition can be treated with oral or intravenous potassium.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Skogestad J, Aronsen JM.Hypokalemia-induced arrhythmias and heart failure: new insights and implications for therapy.Front Physiol. 2018;9:1500. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.01500Palmer BF, Clegg DJ.Physiology and pathophysiology of potassium homeostasis.Adv Physiol Educ. 2016 Dec;40(4):480-490. doi:10.1152/advan.00121.2016Kardalas E, Paschou SA, Anagnostis P, Muscogiuri G, Siasos G, Vryonidou A.Hypokalemia: a clinical update.Endocr Connect. 2018;7(4):R135-R146. doi:10.1530/EC-18-0109National Kidney Foundation.Potassium.Viera AJ, Wouk N.Potassium disorders: hypokalemia and hyperkalemia.Am Fam Physician. 2015 Sep 15;92(6):487-95.Jordan M, Caesar J.Hypokalaemia: Improving the investigation, management and therapeutic monitoring of hypokalaemic medical inpatients at a district general hospital.BMJ Qual Improv Rep. 2015;4(1):u209049.w3670. doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209049.w3670Kaiser Permanente.Potassium (K) in urine test.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Hypokalemia.Veltri KT, Mason C.Medication-induced hypokalemia.P T. 2015;40(3):185-190.Ahmed F, Mohammed A.Magnesium: The forgotten electrolyte—a review on hypomagnesemia.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7(4):56. doi:10.3390/medsci7040056Aldahl M, Jensen AC, Davidsen L, et al.Associations of serum potassium levels with mortality in chronic heart failure patients.Eur Heart J. 2017 Oct 7;38(38):2890-2896. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx460
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Skogestad J, Aronsen JM.Hypokalemia-induced arrhythmias and heart failure: new insights and implications for therapy.Front Physiol. 2018;9:1500. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.01500Palmer BF, Clegg DJ.Physiology and pathophysiology of potassium homeostasis.Adv Physiol Educ. 2016 Dec;40(4):480-490. doi:10.1152/advan.00121.2016Kardalas E, Paschou SA, Anagnostis P, Muscogiuri G, Siasos G, Vryonidou A.Hypokalemia: a clinical update.Endocr Connect. 2018;7(4):R135-R146. doi:10.1530/EC-18-0109National Kidney Foundation.Potassium.Viera AJ, Wouk N.Potassium disorders: hypokalemia and hyperkalemia.Am Fam Physician. 2015 Sep 15;92(6):487-95.Jordan M, Caesar J.Hypokalaemia: Improving the investigation, management and therapeutic monitoring of hypokalaemic medical inpatients at a district general hospital.BMJ Qual Improv Rep. 2015;4(1):u209049.w3670. doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209049.w3670Kaiser Permanente.Potassium (K) in urine test.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Hypokalemia.Veltri KT, Mason C.Medication-induced hypokalemia.P T. 2015;40(3):185-190.Ahmed F, Mohammed A.Magnesium: The forgotten electrolyte—a review on hypomagnesemia.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7(4):56. doi:10.3390/medsci7040056Aldahl M, Jensen AC, Davidsen L, et al.Associations of serum potassium levels with mortality in chronic heart failure patients.Eur Heart J. 2017 Oct 7;38(38):2890-2896. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx460
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Skogestad J, Aronsen JM.Hypokalemia-induced arrhythmias and heart failure: new insights and implications for therapy.Front Physiol. 2018;9:1500. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.01500Palmer BF, Clegg DJ.Physiology and pathophysiology of potassium homeostasis.Adv Physiol Educ. 2016 Dec;40(4):480-490. doi:10.1152/advan.00121.2016Kardalas E, Paschou SA, Anagnostis P, Muscogiuri G, Siasos G, Vryonidou A.Hypokalemia: a clinical update.Endocr Connect. 2018;7(4):R135-R146. doi:10.1530/EC-18-0109National Kidney Foundation.Potassium.Viera AJ, Wouk N.Potassium disorders: hypokalemia and hyperkalemia.Am Fam Physician. 2015 Sep 15;92(6):487-95.Jordan M, Caesar J.Hypokalaemia: Improving the investigation, management and therapeutic monitoring of hypokalaemic medical inpatients at a district general hospital.BMJ Qual Improv Rep. 2015;4(1):u209049.w3670. doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209049.w3670Kaiser Permanente.Potassium (K) in urine test.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Hypokalemia.Veltri KT, Mason C.Medication-induced hypokalemia.P T. 2015;40(3):185-190.Ahmed F, Mohammed A.Magnesium: The forgotten electrolyte—a review on hypomagnesemia.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7(4):56. doi:10.3390/medsci7040056Aldahl M, Jensen AC, Davidsen L, et al.Associations of serum potassium levels with mortality in chronic heart failure patients.Eur Heart J. 2017 Oct 7;38(38):2890-2896. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx460
Skogestad J, Aronsen JM.Hypokalemia-induced arrhythmias and heart failure: new insights and implications for therapy.Front Physiol. 2018;9:1500. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.01500
Palmer BF, Clegg DJ.Physiology and pathophysiology of potassium homeostasis.Adv Physiol Educ. 2016 Dec;40(4):480-490. doi:10.1152/advan.00121.2016
Kardalas E, Paschou SA, Anagnostis P, Muscogiuri G, Siasos G, Vryonidou A.Hypokalemia: a clinical update.Endocr Connect. 2018;7(4):R135-R146. doi:10.1530/EC-18-0109
National Kidney Foundation.Potassium.
Viera AJ, Wouk N.Potassium disorders: hypokalemia and hyperkalemia.Am Fam Physician. 2015 Sep 15;92(6):487-95.
Jordan M, Caesar J.Hypokalaemia: Improving the investigation, management and therapeutic monitoring of hypokalaemic medical inpatients at a district general hospital.BMJ Qual Improv Rep. 2015;4(1):u209049.w3670. doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209049.w3670
Kaiser Permanente.Potassium (K) in urine test.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Hypokalemia.
Veltri KT, Mason C.Medication-induced hypokalemia.P T. 2015;40(3):185-190.
Ahmed F, Mohammed A.Magnesium: The forgotten electrolyte—a review on hypomagnesemia.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7(4):56. doi:10.3390/medsci7040056
Aldahl M, Jensen AC, Davidsen L, et al.Associations of serum potassium levels with mortality in chronic heart failure patients.Eur Heart J. 2017 Oct 7;38(38):2890-2896. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx460
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