What are the Effects of Elevated Potassium Levels?

The effects of elevated potassium levels are related to the health of your heart. When potassium stays in your blood because your kidneys aren't filtering it out, you may experience weakness accompanied by an irregular heartbeat. This condition, called hyperkalemia, can be detected with an electrocardiogram after you exhibit symptoms.
Potassium is a substance essential to your body. A mineral in nature, potassium is considered an electrolyte. Electrolytes are charged particles, containing ions, whose tiny electrical charge helps to send messages through your nerves. Therefore, either elevated or lowered levels of potassium will affect your nervous system by sending innacurate signals, sometimes resulting in paralysis.



Elevated potassium levels have the effects of numerous uncomfortable and possibly dangerous symptoms. You may feel tired and weak or have difficulty moving your digits or limbs due to mild paralysis. Continued hyperkalemia can lead to a disrupted heartbeat called arrhythmia. Arrhythmia should be corrected as soon as possible.
Secondary results from elevated potassium levels relate to the hydration and energy of cells. Potassium also keeps cells from getting dehydrated and helps convert carbohydrates into glucose. The crucial electrolyte gets transported within red blood cells, which are then circulated in the bloodstream.

Strangely, it is easy to obtain inaccurate measurements of your blood potassium levels. It's very likely that your blood sample has been "hemolyzed," where the pressure of drawing blood into a vial or syringe breaks open the delicate walls of red blood cells. These cells leak their concentrated amounts of potassium into the plasma and other parts of blood, so hemolyzation will give false high potassium readings. For this reason, elevated potassium levels may be difficult to determine without further medical attention.

You may have elevated potassium levels if you suffer from Addison's Disease or diabetes. An elevated reading may also indicate that you have irregular levels of aldosterone, since that hormone controls potassium. Usually, we keep very consistent levels of potassium thanks to our filtering kidneys. Therefore, a kidney infection or renal failure can create elevated potassium levels. Dietary supplements that include potassium can only worsen an already unhealthy situation, but cannot be toxic by themselves.