The causes of hyperkalemia are these 3

Hyperkalemia does not have obvious symptoms, but once it occurs, it can be very dangerous and may even lead to sudden death. The main causes of this disease include simply ingesting or accidentally taking foods or drugs rich in potassium (such as penicillin potassium salt, potassium chloride) or transfusing too much stored blood.

1. Excessive intake

Simply ingesting or accidentally taking foods or drugs rich in potassium (such as potassium penicillin, potassium chloride) or transfusing too much stored blood (potassium is released into the plasma due to the destruction of red blood cells). When intravenous potassium supplementation is used to correct hypokalemia, slow drip generally does not cause hyperkalemia because potassium can be excreted from the kidneys unless: ① the renal potassium excretion function is impaired; ② the amount of potassium intake exceeds the kidney's potassium excretion capacity.

2. Reduced excretion

A common clinical cause is the use of potassium-sparing diuretics, such as triamterene, spironolactone, and amiloride. Other drugs that can cause hyperkalemia include angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, long-term use of heparin (which inhibits aldosterone secretion), bactrim, pentamidine, digitalis overdose, beta-blockers, and cyclosporine. Patients with renal insufficiency, oliguria and anuria, adrenal insufficiency with aldosterone deficiency such as Addison's disease, 17-alpha-hydroxylase deficiency, selective low renin hypoaldosteronism and aldosterone insensitivity syndrome.

3. Potassium moves from inside cells to outside cells

Seen in: ① Large area tissue damage and necrosis, such as severe electric burns, crush injuries, myolysis, high fever heat stroke (due to lysis of red blood cells and muscle cells), and massive intravascular hemolysis. Some of these diseases may cause acute renal failure, aggravating hyperkalemia. ② Drugs. Obvious hyperkalemia often occurs when arginine hydrochloride or lysine is used to treat hepatic encephalopathy and metabolic alkali poisoning. This may be because arginine exchanges with intracellular potassium, causing potassium to move outside the cells. The muscle relaxant succinylcholine used during anesthesia also has the effect of moving intracellular potassium to the extracellular space. ③ When cancer patients are treated with large doses of chemotherapy drugs, acute tumor lysis syndrome may occur, causing hyperkalemia. ④ Familial hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, which is an autosomal genetic disease; secondary hyperkalemic paralysis (spironolactone taken by patients with renal failure is a common cause). ⑤ Acidosis, including metabolic acidosis, diabetic ketoacidosis and lactic acidosis. ⑥ Hyperosmotic state, severe water loss, shock, etc. can cause intracellular potassium to move to extracellular space.