What are the symptoms of taking too much potassium?

In modern society, people will develop some diseases due to the lack of certain elements in their lives. Many of them are caused by their own bad eating habits and living habits. Once they are lacking, many people will choose to eat some foods to supplement the missing elements. However, eating too much of some foods will cause excessive elements in the body. So, what are the symptoms of taking too much potassium?

First, what are the symptoms of taking too much potassium? Excessive intake of potassium-containing foods generally does not lead to high K+, but it may occur in people with renal insufficiency. Large amounts of transfusion of stored blood, intravenous injection of KCl, etc. can cause severe hyperkalemia. (ii) Difficulty in excretion is mainly caused by renal dysfunction which prevents K+ from being fully excreted. It includes two major categories: severely reduced glomerular filtration rate and relatively adequate glomerular filtration rate but still with potassium excretion disorder: (iii) Intracellular and extracellular transfer acidosis can inhibit the Na+-K+ pump, while stimulating excessive insulin secretion, causing K+ to move outward; hyperosmolar blood is due to intracellular dehydration, and the K+ concentration is relatively increased and easy to overflow; the mechanism of high K+ caused by β-adrenergic receptor blockers has been mentioned above. Succinylcholine can increase the permeability of cell membranes to K+. In addition, digitalis, arginine hydrochloride, etc. can promote the outward migration of K+ and may lead to increased blood K+.

Second, muscle weakness causes an increase in extracellular [K+], which lowers the resting potential, leading to muscle weakness and even paralysis. It usually occurs more frequently in the lower limbs and then extends along the trunk to the upper limbs. The respiratory muscles may only be affected in extremely rare cases. (ii) Arrhythmia occurs early, usually with a peaked T wave and a shortened QT interval. Subsequently, the T wave changes become more obvious, the QRS wave becomes wider and its amplitude decreases, and the P wave morphology gradually disappears. All these changes combined make the patient's electrocardiogram show a sinusoidal waveform. Since many hyperkalemias are often accompanied by hypocalcemia, metabolic acidosis, and hyponatremia, which also affect ECG changes, careful analysis is sometimes necessary.

What are the symptoms of excessive potassium supplementation? Clinical manifestations of excess potassium and high blood potassium: (1) Muscle weakness. Increased extracellular potassium causes a decrease in resting potential, resulting in muscle weakness and even paralysis. It usually occurs more frequently in the lower limbs and then extends along the trunk to the upper limbs. The respiratory muscles may only be affected in extremely rare cases. (ii) Arrhythmia occurs early, usually with a peaked T wave and a shortened QT interval. Subsequently, the T wave changes become more obvious, the QRS wave becomes wider and its amplitude decreases, and the P wave morphology gradually disappears. All these changes combined make the patient's electrocardiogram show a sinusoidal waveform. Since many cases of hyperkalemia are often accompanied by hypocalcemia, metabolic acidosis, and hyponatremia, which also affect electrocardiogram changes, careful analysis is sometimes required before a diagnosis can be made. I hope you are satisfied with my answer. But don't worry too much. K means the more you eat, the more you excrete. If you eat less, the less you excrete, there will be no problem if you have a strong excretion ability.