What is the common lack of side effects of potassium?

Basic mineral potassium is an important tool in maintaining a healthy muscle and strong nerve function. Lack of potassium or hypokalaemia is usually due to dehydration or long -term use of laxatives and diuretics. The most common gastrointestinal side effect of potassium deficiency is constipation. Lack of side effects of potassium that affect the cardiovascular system are low blood pressure and arrhythmias, unusually fast or slow heart rhythm. The most common side effect of potassium deficiency on the muscle system is muscle cramps, especially in the legs.

Although the lack of potassium is often caused by excessive use of laxatives and diuretics that quickly remove fluids from the body. After long -term use of laxatives and diuretics, the body can really dehydrate because they try to hold water and electrolytes such as potassium. Normal physiological responne is supposed to extract water from waste and cause severe constipation. Rather than increasing fluid intake to relieve constipation, manyPatients further increase laxative use, which complicates the problem. This situation can lead to intestinal obstruction in extreme cases.

One of the lack of side effects of potassium on the cardiovascular system is low blood pressure. Low blood pressure related to hypokalaemia is usually due to the use of diuretics or drugs that increase urine elimination and result in loss of both fluid and electrolytes and reduce the blood volume in the body. Reduced blood pressure is a physiological reaction to a blood volume reduction, because there are less blood through blood vessels.

Potassium is essential for muscle contraction and when the potassium is scarce in the body, the result of impaired muscle contraction. Muscle cramps, predominant legs, are usually the first lack of side effects of potassium that are felt. When hypokalaemia becomes more pronounced, the lack of potassium begins to influence the power line in the heart. NElectric electrical conductivity can produce irregularly fast or slow heart rhythm, know as arrhythmia.

In mild cases of hypokalaemia, the integration of more potassium -rich foods will alleviate side effects. When hypokalaemia is more severe, it is a typical treatment to use potassium supplements or receive potassium intravenously. Sometimes diet changes can allow lower doses of laxatives and diuretics or diuretics that help the body maintain potassium, and release the side effects of potassium deficiency.