Symptoms Of Low Potassium In Body – How Can It Affect Our Body

Knowing the symptoms of low potassium in the body is important to maintain one’s health; to begin with however, you should understand why the body requires potassium.

Potassium is a very important mineral for the human body. It is required for the proper functioning of all cells, tissues, and organs. It also works as an electrolyte, conducting electricity in the body. Potassium is essential to heart functioning and plays a crucial role in muscle and skeletal function, kidney function and is also important for normal digestion. It works closely with element- sodium. Together they maintain the body’s fluid balance and the acid-base balance. While potassium maintains the amount of fluids inside the cells, sodium does the same outside the cells in the blood plasma. There is also some evidence to suggest that diets high in potassium help in preventing cardiovascular disease, hypertension and strokes.

As potassium is such a vital mineral, it is important to be able to identify the symptoms of low potassium and tackle the issue as soon as possible.

Low potassium in the body or hypokalemia is usually caused when the body is not provided with adequate amounts of the same in the diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is generally suitable enough to prevent this situation. Quite often the body loses high amounts of potassium through the expulsion of urine or when the person is on medications that cause excessive loss of potassium and/or urine. Even illnesses or diseases such as excessive vomiting, diarrhea or Crohn’s disease would result in loss of potassium. As with most essential minerals, if too much potassium is lost, the condition could become life threatening.

Signs And Symptoms Of Low Potassium

Symptoms of Hypokalemia range from mild to severe. People suffering from early stages of Hypokalemia may show no symptoms at all. Generally the symptoms are as follows:

• Fatigue and weakness


• muscular weakness, pain or cramps


• Mental Confusion, Irritability, anxiety or depression


• Acme problem


• Skin related problems such as blistering, skin eruptions, dryness of skin and so on.


• Weak memory


• Heart related problems, such as heart deterioration or irregular heartbeat


• Digestive problems or constipation


• Hypertension, improper sleep, nervous system deterioration


• In some cases ringing/noise in the ear.


• Very dry skin


• Low blood pressure


• Insatiable Thirst


• Increase in Cholesterol Levels


• In severe cases, Cardiac arrest

To positively confirm Hypokalemia, blood tests and an electrocardiogram (EKG) must be conducted. And if this is a recurring problem further tests will need to be done to determine the underlying cause.