Hyperkalemia is one of the most common complications of Uremia, but most
patients have no idea on why Hyperkalemia appears in Uremia. I want to explain
here.
In normal cases, the intake of potassium content by diet is far below the
excretion capability of our kidneys, so the reasons for Hyperkalemia are mainly
related with the decline in renal function.
Simply speaking, the reasons for Hyperkalemia caused by Uremia generally
include three points.
1.Difficulty in Removing Potassium by Kidneys
In Uremia, the patients’ kidneys are mostly damaged and the renal function
is
very weak, so most of the excessive potassium ions cannot be removed through
kidneys, which leads to the accumulation of K+ in the body and eventually forms
Hyperkalemia.
2.Diet or Medical Factors
Excessive intake of potassium-highly foods or overmuch medication-taken can
both leads to the elevation of potassium concentration in the blood, besides
this reason, eating too much fruits especially orange or its juices is another
reason. And, some medicines are also responsible for Hyperkalemia.
3.Release of Potassium from Cells
In some conditions, such as acidosis, perisitent spasm, large amount of
internal bleeding, or infections, organisms catabolism could be increased, so
potassium ion will be transferred from intracellular parts to the extracellular
parts.
Now, these three points are the main reason for Hyperkalemia in Uremia
patients. Treatment for Hyperkalemia should be based on your specific
conditions.
