Lack Of Potassium Essay

Most things in our body we can either have too much or too little of. Both can potentially be dangerous depending on their role in the human body. Potassium is very important electrolyte in our bodies; it helps with cell development and also plays a role in the electrical system of our body. A major organ affected by potassium is the heart. Potassium helps regulate our heart rate and rhythm. Too much or too little could cause an arrhythmia which is an abnormal heart rhythm. According to the Mayo Clinic, a normal range for potassium is between 3.6 and 5.2 millimoles per liter of blood.
Having too much potassium in the blood is known as hyperkalemia . According to the Mayo Clinic, a patient with a blood potassium level higher than 7.0 mmol/L will be considered hyperkalemic. .Hyperkalemia is usually hard to accuratley diagnosis. Why is this? Small things like leaving the tourniquet on for too long before a blood draw can alter these levels. It …show more content…
According to Mayo Clinic, a low potassium range is less than 2.5 mmol/L. A variety of things may cause a person to lose their potassium. Like mentioned with hyperkalemia, using water pills to excrete urine can be helpful to get rid of an overload of potassium but it can also be life threatening to excrete too much potassium. Other causes may be an excessive amount of alcohol, vomiting and diarrhea and excessive sweating. Treatment for this depending on the severity can be replenished by IV or oral potassium supplements. Encouraging patients to eat food rich in potassium such as banana, avocado, fruits and granola is another way to boost the potassium.
Molarity= 2.5 mmol/L X 0.001mol/1mmol= 0.0025mol
Extended Question: What other important electrolytes go hand in hand with potassium? If you give more to replenish the low potassium or you need to take away for high potassium what other levels are important to