What Are the Causes of Increased Potassium Level?

Potassium is necessary for the normal functioning of your nerves, muscles and heart. However, higher-than-normal levels of potassium in in your blood can result in a condition known as hyperkalemia. Symptoms of hyperkalemia can be mild, such as experiencing nausea, muscle weakness, fatigue or tingling sensations; or more serious, such as slow heartbeat and weak pulse or cardiac arrest. Some causes of increased potassium levels include kidney dysfunction, Addison's disease, alcoholism or heavy drug use, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and Type 1 diabetes.

Kidney Failure

• Your kidneys excrete potassium, but when you have a kidney dysfunction the efficiency of your kidneys decrease that can result in hyperkalemia.

Addison's Disease

• Addison's disease, also called adrenal insufficiency or hypocortisolism is when your body doesn't produce sufficient amounts of the hormones cortisol and aldosteronecertain, which are produced by your adrenal glands. Aldosterone is responsible for causing the kidney to excrete potassium through the urine. However, decreased aldosterone production can decrease the kidney's excretion of potassium, resulting in increased potassium levels.

Alcoholism or Drug Use

• Alcoholism or heavy drug use causes a condition known as rhabdomyolysis, in which the muscle fibers breakdown, resulting in the release of potassium in your bloodstream.

Angiotensin-converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

• ACE inhibitors are a prescribed medication used for relieving conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, kidney diseases, scleroderma and migraines. One of the side effects of the medication is increased potassium levels because it decreases the frequency in which potassium is excreted through your urine.

Type 1 Diabetes

• Individuals with type 1 diabetes need insulin to maintain blood glucose levels. A lack of insulin causes fat cells to break down, releasing ketones into the blood, which makes the blood acidic. Acidic blood and high glucose levels causes potassium to move out of the cells into your bloodstream. Usually people with diabetes have inefficient kidneys, which limits the excretion of potassium into urine. Thus, the combination of potassium in the bloodstream and decreased potassium excretion through urine causes increased potassium levels.