What Can High Potassium Levels in Blood Indicate?

High blood levels of potassium, or hyperkalemia, may indicate problems with the regulation of potassium in your body or a high intake of potassium through foods. Regulation problems may be demonstrative of kidney diseases.

Potassium Function

• Potassium is necessary in the body to assist in muscle and nerve communication as well as to remove wastes from cells.

Regulation

• The cortex of the adrenal glands produces aldosterone, the hormone responsible for the regulation of potassium. High potassium levels may indicate problems with the adrenal cortex's production of aldosterone.

Kidney Problems

• High levels of blood potassium may indicate problems with your kidneys. Kidney failure is one of the most common reasons for potassium problems.

Other Causes

• Some medicines, loss of red blood cells, alcoholism and drug use, as well as taking too many potassium supplements may cause high levels of blood potassium.

Treatment

• If your hyperkalemia is associated with kidney failure, a kidney transplant (the general treatment for kidney failure) can fix the problem of high blood potassium.

Symptoms

• Hyperkalemia normally presents no symptoms, but some in cases, symptoms associated with it are an irregular heartbeat, nausea and a slow or absent pulse.