Bill: The normal serum potassium level lies between 3.5 and 5.0 mmol/L. Potassium is needed for correct nerve and muscle (including the heart muscle) function and helps to regulate the water and electrolyte balance in the body. Potassium levels can be affected by kidney function, blood pH, the amount of potassium in the diet, hormone levels in the body, excessive vomiting, and many medications. Increased potassium levels indicate hyperkalemia. Increased levels may also indicate the following health conditions: excessive dietary potassium intake (for example, fruits are particularly high in potassium, so excessive intake of fruits or juices may contribute to high potassium); excessive intravenous potassium intake; acute or chronic kidney failure; Addison's disease; hypoaldosteronism; injury to tissue; infection; diabetes; and dehydration. Certain drugs can also cause hyperkalemia in a small percent of patients. Among them are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin); beta-blockers (such as propanolol and atenolol), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (such as captopril, enalapril, and lisinopril), and potassium-sparing diuretics (such as triamterene, amiloride, and spironolactone). Decreased levels of potassium indicate hypokalemia. Decreased levels may occur in a number of conditions, particularly: dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, and deficient potassium intake (rare). In diabetes, your potassium may fall after you take insulin, particularly if your diabetes had been out of control for a while. Low potassium is commonly due to “water pills” (diuretics); if you are taking these, your doctor will check your potassium level regularly. I took this info from: http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/potassium/test.html - it's accurate. Bill - if you potassium is outside the normal range, consult your doctor. She/he will be able to tell you the likely cause, and what you can do to correct this. Good luck! Bob G.
The stated "normal" range of serum potassium level is 3.5-5.0 mmol/L. My mother is 92 and has trouble maintaining the "right" level of potassium because of her need to take diuretics to avoid water retention. Is this range applicable for all age groups? Thanks.
The normal serum potassium level lies between 3.5 and 5.0 mmol/L. Potassium is needed for correct nerve and muscle (including the heart muscle) function and helps to regulate the water and electrolyte balance in the body. Potassium levels can be affected by kidney function, blood pH, the amount of potassium in the diet, hormone levels in the body, excessive vomiting, and many medications.
Increased potassium levels indicate hyperkalemia. Increased levels may also indicate the following health conditions:
excessive dietary potassium intake (for example, fruits are particularly high in potassium, so excessive intake of fruits or juices may contribute to high potassium);
excessive intravenous potassium intake;
acute or chronic kidney failure;
Addison's disease;
hypoaldosteronism;
injury to tissue;
infection;
diabetes; and
dehydration.
Certain drugs can also cause hyperkalemia in a small percent of patients. Among them are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin); beta-blockers (such as propanolol and atenolol), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (such as captopril, enalapril, and lisinopril), and potassium-sparing diuretics (such as triamterene, amiloride, and spironolactone).
Decreased levels of potassium indicate hypokalemia. Decreased levels may occur in a number of conditions, particularly:
dehydration,
vomiting,
diarrhea, and
deficient potassium intake (rare).
In diabetes, your potassium may fall after you take insulin, particularly if your diabetes had been out of control for a while. Low potassium is commonly due to “water pills” (diuretics); if you are taking these, your doctor will check your potassium level regularly.
I took this info from: http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/potassium/test.html - it's accurate.
Bill - if you potassium is outside the normal range, consult your doctor. She/he will be able to tell you the likely cause, and what you can do to correct this. Good luck!
Bob G.
I couldn't find definitions of a 'normal' range for the very old, but a study done in 200 examined mortality in non-old people with different ranges of values. Those with 'low' values (2.7-3.7 mmol/L) had a mortality level (6.5 per 1000 patient-years) that was only slightly higher than the middle range (3.8–4.4 mmol/L, mortality 5.3 per 1000) and significantly lower than that for raised serum levels (4.5–5.4 mmol/L, mortality 8.1 per thousand). See the abstract at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1495719. And look at the following: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17523715&ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum.
I wouldn't worry too much if she's otherwise well. Some foods are a good source ofpotassium (e.g. bananas).