Hypokalemia for Everyone. #2B. What Causes Hypokalemia?
B. Decreased Potassium Intake
A minimum potassium intake is required to maintain the equilibrium with daily lost potassium. Normal urinary and digestive excretion contain always a minimum amount of potassium that will need to be replaced. In simple terms, if someone does not ingest a minimum amount of potassium a negative potassium balance will be created and over the matter of a few days, a low concentration of potassium in the plasma will occur. People at risk for decreased potassium intake are people with anorexia, people undergoing diets, hospitalized patients who are not well enough to eat and do not have adequate potassium supplementation. This problem becomes worse when, in addition to a decrease in intake, they also have potassium losses related to diarrhea or use of diuretics.
Disclaimer
Any information or statement present in this post does not replace your health care provider’s advice or treatment. This blog does not provide medical advice, prescribe medications or therapies, or diagnose conditions, it only expresses an opinion. If you have a health-related question or condition, confer with your healthcare provider.
Quotations
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Marco A. Ramos, “Hypokalemia for Everyone.#2B. What Causes Hypokalemia?,” SMO Blog (blog), May 1, 2019, https://steemit.com/health/@secondmedicalop/hypokalemia-for-everyone-2b-what-causes-hypokalemia
Read the other sections of this series:
Introduction
What Causes Hypokalemia? A