Hyperkalemia Its Causes And Treatments

Hyperkalemia is a condition which is caused in the body due to the higher than normal levels of potassium. A human body needs a certain balance of all the elements present in it and whenever any element is present in lesser or higher amounts, the body starts reacting in an unusual way.

Treatment of Hyperkalemia

 

Without proper levels of potassium in the bloodstream, the heart muscles and other muscles are unable to work properly.  Too much potassium can be dangerous for the heart health and can even lead to changes in the rhythm of the heart.

Treatment of Hyperkalemia

There are several ways to bring down the potassium levels in the blood and by following these ways, hyperkalemia can be treated.

  • One of the treatment methods which are used to remove excess potassium from the blood is to use sodium polystyrene sulfonate. This compound is used to get the extra potassium out of the body through the digestive tract.
  • Often, doctors also make use of water pills that are used to remove the potassium from the blood via the urinary tract.  These pills absorb the potassium and are passed out through the urine in liquid form.
  • To move the extra potassium from the bloodstream into the cells, glucose and insulin are often delivered intravenously into a vein.  This is another effective treatment method for the cure of hyperkalemia.
  • When none of the above mentioned methods work or in case when they can’t be used, the process of dialysis is used. Dialysis filters out extra potassium from the blood. This treatment is used in the case when the kidney function is serious affected and impaired.

Causes of Hyperkalemia

There are many causes of hyperkalemia and the following are some of the most common ones:

  • Any kind of kidney problem or disease is the most common cause of hyperkalemia.  Kidneys are the organs that are responsible for normal levels of potassium in the body and if kidney function gets impaired due to any reason, it leads to excess storage of potassium in the blood, leading to hyperkalemia.
  • Another cause of this disease is consumption of foods high on potassium.  Excess potassium in the diet or meals can increase the levels of this element in the blood and some foods which are good sources of potassium are bananas, melons and orange juice.

Some health problems may also result in increasing potassium levels in the bloodstream

Photo Credit By: kidneytherapychina.org