Are Kidney Disease and Hyperkalemia Connected?

Hyperkalemia (high potassium) and kidney disease have a strong, predictable connection. Kidney disease is the most common cause of hyperkalemia. As kidney function declines, blood levels of potassium rise.

High potassium is incredibly dangerous because it weakens your muscles and can lead to cardiac arrest. From the moment you’re diagnosed with kidney disease, our team at Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC focuses on protecting your health by managing potassium levels.

Potassium’s role in the body

Potassium is an electrolyte that carries a positive electric charge when dissolved in the fluids in and around cells. The mineral is essential for nerve function because it supports the electrical signals nerves use to communicate.

Though all nerves rely on potassium, its most crucial roles are regulating blood pressure, activating muscle contractions, and ensuring your heart keeps beating.

Potassium triggers the heart’s self-contained electrical system. In this role, the heart depends on potassium to control your heartbeat and synchronize the muscle contractions that pump blood through the heart.

Considering these vital roles, it’s no surprise that the body tightly regulates blood levels of potassium to guarantee a continuous supply.

However, potassium must stay within a specific range. Serious health problems develop if your potassium levels get too high (hyperkalemia) or too low (hypokalemia).

Connection between kidney disease and hyperkalemia

Your kidneys regulate potassium levels. They maintain long-term blood levels by balancing the amount of potassium entering the body with the amount eliminated.

The kidneys filter potassium out of your blood. They keep blood levels steady by sending some back into circulation and eliminating the excess in your urine.

Kidney disease gradually damages the tissues that filter blood, limiting their ability to regulate potassium (as well as other minerals, fluids, and wastes).

As the disease progresses, the kidneys excrete less potassium, allowing more to remain in your bloodstream. Without treatment, hyperkalemia can develop.

Hyperkalemia symptoms

Most people don’t have symptoms until their blood levels are dangerously high. When symptoms first appear, you may feel tired or have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

As muscle function deteriorates, you have symptoms such as:

Muscle weakness
Tingling in your arms and legs
Chest pain
Dizziness
Difficulty breathing
Racing, pounding, or fluttering heartbeat (irregular heartbeat)

Hyperkalemia is life-threatening if it reaches a severe stage. Muscle weakness can progress to paralysis and your heart may suddenly stop (cardiac arrest).

Prevent hyperkalemia

Kidney disease is a chronic and progressive condition. That means we must regularly monitor your internal health throughout your lifetime.

Checking your internal health means running urine and blood tests. We use the tests to evaluate kidney function, determine if your treatment is working, and check blood levels of potassium, cholesterol, glucose (sugar), and other substances.

Learning what’s happening inside your body allows us to fine-tune your treatment to maintain your optimal well-being.

Kidney care focuses on preventing hyperkalemia. Though your treatment is based on kidney function and the stage of your kidney disease, following a kidney-friendly diet begins as soon as you’re diagnosed.

Treat hyperkalemia

Following a kidney-friendly diet is crucial even in the early stages of kidney disease. Your diet can prevent or delay progressive kidney damage, hyperkalemia, and other health complications like heart disease.

If dietary changes can’t control potassium levels or your kidney disease reaches an advanced stage, we may also prescribe medications to manage hyperkalemia.

A kidney-friendly diet is a healthy, well-balanced diet, such as the DASH or Mediterranean eating plans. However, we adjust your diet to monitor the amounts of four nutrients:

Potassium

As we already discussed, you need potassium, but must monitor the amount you eat, especially in the later stages of kidney disease.

Salt

Salt increases body fluids and raises blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of two conditions that cause most cases of kidney disease. (Diabetes is the other.) Hypertension also accelerates progressive kidney damage.

Protein

While you must get enough protein to support your body, too much protein puts excessive stress on the kidneys and can contribute to the ongoing tissue damage.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus can build up in your blood if you have kidney disease. Excess phosphorus pulls calcium from your bones, making them weak and brittle. Too much phosphorus can also cause joint pain and itchy skin.

Support for kidney disease is available

You don’t need to deal with issues like hyperkalemia and how to follow a kidney-friendly diet on your own. We’re here to offer personalized recommendations and nutritional guidance based on your internal health.

Call Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC today or click on “request an appointment” and complete the form to get comprehensive care for kidney disease.