high potassium levels? what does it mean?my nan had a blood test that came back showing that she had high levels of potassium in her blood, shes now gone back for another test but what does it mean if they are high again, the dr would not tell her as she did not have an appointment with him but at the hospital. they could not comment but said its quite usual. what does it mean as my nan is now thinking she has kidney disease or something (shes a bit pessamistic!!)
Posted by Kelly R
Reduce her salt intake and increase her water intake.
Check out this website for more information...
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4680
Posted by The mom
A single high potassium level may mean nothing at all. Sometimes when blood is drawn under high pressure or through a small needle, you can rupture a significant number of the blood cells and get an artificially high reading. However, if it is repeated and is still high, then they will want to check her kidneys function and make certain she is not diabetic. Both those can cause high potassium levels in the blood. There are a few other things that can cause it, but those are the main culprits. The kidneys ordinarily will filter out excess amounts of potassium, which is probably why she is thinking it's kidney disease. But it can be other things, and caught early enough, most of them are very treatable. You and your nan just stay calm until all the tests are in.
Orignal From: Kidney Disease: high potassium levels? what does it mean?
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