Potassium is an essential mineral, meaning that your body must obtain it from your diet. It is also an electrolyte, a substance that helps conduct electricity in the body. To varying degrees, your cells, tissues and organs all depend on potassium to function normally. Potassium is especially important for your heart's electrical activity, a function that an electrocardiogram, or EKG, records. Your body regulates potassium closely in order to maintain normal function. Occasionally, however, high levels of potassium can develop, leading to changes that show up on an EKG.

High Potassium

According to MayoClinic.com, normal blood potassium levels range from 3.6 to 5.2 millimoles per liter. In a healthy body, the kidneys maintain normal blood potassium levels by eliminating any excess in the urine. However, the kidneys can sometimes become overwhelmed, leading to hyperkalemia, a state of elevated blood potassium. Causes of hyperkalemia include kidney disease, burns, hormone disorders, certain medications and excessive intakes of potassium. Hyperkalemia occurs when blood potassium exceeds 5,5 millimoles per liter, according to the Merck Manual for Health Care Professionals. Symptoms do not always accompany hyperkalemia, but they can include an irregular heartbeat, paralysis, fatigue and difficulty breathing.

EKG

An EKG essentially measures your heart's electrical activity. Every time your heart beats, an electrical impulse crosses its top and bottom chambers, causing your cardiac muscles to contract and pump blood. EKGs provide a way to estimate the rate and regularity of that impulse, as well as the force and timing of the electrical signals going through your heart. Along with kidney function tests and blood potassium measurement, an EKG can help diagnose hyperkalemia.

High Potassium and EKG

The Merck Manual for Health Care Professionals reports that there are visible EKG changes whenever blood potassium rises above 5.5 millimoles per liter. Above that level, an EKG expresses waves that show a gradual decrease in your heart’s electrical activity. The higher your blood potassium level rises, the slower electrical conduction becomes. This translates into a slower heart rhythm and therefore reduced ability to pump blood. High potassium can ultimately cause your individual muscle fibers to become uncoordinated, leading to muscle twitching and a heart rhythm disorder known as ventricular fibrillation or asystole.

Treatment and Prevention

A healthy diet and a physically active lifestyle are important steps you can take to prevent or improve hyperkalemia. For those over the age of 19, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends 4,700 milligrams of potassium daily. To avoid getting too much, you should limit your dietary potassium intake to foods instead of taking potassium supplements, unless your healthcare provider advises otherwise. Rich food sources include meat, salmon, cod, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Treatment for high potassium varies depending on the specific cause, but can include a combination of medications, periodic tests and lifestyle changes.

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