Potassium

All human tissues require potassium which is an essential mineral. It is called an electrolyte because it has a little electrical charge that stimulates numerous cell and nerve processes. Potassium can be found naturally in many foods as well as supplements. Its fundamental role in the body is to help our cells maintain normal fluid levels. Its inverse, sodium, regulates fluid levels outside of cells. Potassium also helps muscles contract and keeps blood pressure balanced.

It aids neuron function and muscular contraction. It keeps your heart rate regular. It also supports the transportation of nutrients into cells and waste materials out of cells. A potassium-rich diet can assist to mitigate some of the negative effects of sodium on blood pressure. Many people get all of the potassium they require from the foods and beverages they consume. Potassium sources in the diet include:

• Spinach and collards are examples of leafy greens.
• Vine fruit, such as grapes and blackberries
• Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes
• Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit
• Your kidneys aid in maintaining the proper quantity of potassium in your body. Your kidneys may not eliminate excess potassium from your blood if you have chronic renal disease.

A potassium blood test determines the amount of potassium in your blood. The test is frequently performed as part of an electrolyte panel, which is a set of regular blood tests. It is also used to identify or diagnose situations related to elevated potassium levels. Kidney disorders, extreme blood pressure, and heart disease are instances of high potassium levels.

What Is a Potassium Blood Test and What Does It Detect?

Potassium in blood, urine, and other bodily fluids is measured through potassium tests. Potassium as an electrolyte helps to stabilize blood pressure by balancing the impact of sodium on the body.  Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals that assist regulate fluid levels and the acid-base balance (pH balance) in your body. They also serve to modulate muscle and nerve activity, among other things. Potassium is required for the healthy functioning of your cells, neurons, heart, and muscles. Potassium ranges that are too high or too less may specify a medical issue. The potassium level in the blood is determined via a potassium serum test. Serious health issues can result from even a slight change in the blood's potassium levels.

Why Is a Potassium Test Done?

A basic metabolic panel, which is a collection of chemical tests done on your blood serum, frequently includes a potassium test. During a standard physical examination or for several other reasons, your doctor could recommend a potassium test, including:

• Monitoring or looking for an electrolyte imbalance
• Checking on some drugs that influence potassium levels, especially diuretics, heart drugs, and high blood pressure drugs
  Identifying cardiac conditions and high blood pressure
• Monitoring or identifying kidney disease
• Monitoring for metabolic acidosis (when the kidneys are not removing enough acid from the body or when the body is producing too much acid, as may occur in poorly controlled diabetes)
• Identifying alkalosis, a condition where the body's fluids contain an excess of alkali
• Determining what causes a paralysis attack

Your potassium level will be tested to determine whether it is normal. A potassium blood test could be required as part of your routine check-up or to keep track of an existing ailment like diabetes, kidney disease, or problems with the adrenal glands. If you take medications that might alter your potassium levels or if you exhibit signs of having too much or too little potassium, you might also require this test. 
Repeated potassium tests, either by themselves or as a panel, may also be a component of continuing kidney or cardiovascular system monitoring. Screening is frequently referred to as early detection because it involves tests done before any symptoms or signs of a health condition appear. Potassium is typically measured alongside other electrolytes as part of screening tests for other substances. Other blood proteins and substances that can provide information to the clinician about kidney function may be included in panel tests for screening.

Procedure And Preparation for The Potassium Test

Your doctor might instruct you to fast for at least 6 hours before the test and to only consume water

• A blood sample is drawn at your doctor's office, a hospital, or a laboratory for the routine potassium test.
• Potassium testing in urine is less prevalent. They are typically undertaken using one of two techniques when necessary:
• An entire day's worth of urine must be collected for the lab to calculate the total amount of potassium you expelled during that time. This is known as a 24-hour urine sample. Only when a blood potassium test is abnormal is urine potassium testing typically done. Your test results for a urine potassium test will either display the total potassium level determined in a 24-hour sample or the potassium-to-creatinine ratio in a single urine sample.
• an examination of the potassium-to-creatinine ratio in a spot urine sample A single urine sample must be provided for this approach at a lab or doctor's office. The lab can determine your 24-hour potassium excretion by comparing the potassium to the creatinine content of this sample.

How To Understand the Potassium Test Results?

Normal Levels
3.7 to 5.2 milliequivalents per litre (mEq/L) or 3.70 to 5.20 millimoles per litre (millimol/L) are considered to be within the usual range. The normal value ranges may vary slightly between labs. Discuss the implication of your particular test results with your provider.
Abnormal results
Hyperkalaemia, or high potassium levels, can result from

• Addison's illness (rare)
• blood donation
• Several medications, such as potassium-sparing diuretics, ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers), beta-blockers, amiloride, triamterene, spironolactone
• Injury to the crushed tissue
• Periodic hyperkalemic paralysis
• Hypoaldosteronism (extremely rare) (very rare)
• Kidney insufficiency or failure
• Metabolic or respiratory acidosis
• Red blood cell destruction
• Too much potassium in your diet

Hypokalaemia, or low potassium levels, can result from:

• Chronic or acute diarrhoea
• Cushing disease (rare)
• Diuretics like furosemide, torsemide, hydrochlorothiazide, and indapamide
• Hyperaldosteronism
• Periodic paralysis due to hypokalaemia
• Dietary potassium deficiency
• stenosis of the renal artery
• Acidosis of the renal tubules (rare)
• Nausea