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167x Filetype PDF File size 0.50 MB Source: www.kidney.org
YOUR KIDNEYS AND
HIGH POTASSIUM
(HYPERKALEMIA)
Are You At Risk?
kidney.org
Table of Contents
About High Potassium Your Diet
What is high potassium (hyperkalemia)? . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Potassium and your diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
What causes it? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 High-potassium foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Medicines that can cause high potassium . . . . . . . . . . .6 Lower-potassium foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
More tips for managing potassium levels . . . . . . . . . . .16
Symptoms Reducing potassium in vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
What are the symptoms? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Finding out if you have high potassium . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Key Points
Important points to remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Treatment
Treating high potassium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 More Information
Medicines that can help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Want more information? Just ask. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Get materials that can help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
National Kidney Foundation's KDOQI® . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
2 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION KIDNEY.ORG 3
What causes it? Ab
About High Potassium o
Common causes ut
Kidney disease: High potassium can happen if your
kidneys do not work well . Your kidneys balance the
What is high potassium (hyperkalemia)? amount of potassium taken in with the amount lost in
urine . Potassium is taken in through the foods you eat
High potassium (called "hyperkalemia") is a medical and liquids you drink . It is filtered by the kidneys, and
problem of having too much potassium in your blood . lost through urine . Healthy kidneys can make up for
Potassium is an important nutrient found in many of high potassium by removing more . In the early stages of
Potassium helps kidney disease, the kidneys can often make up for high
these body parts
the foods you eat . It helps your nerves and muscles, potassium . But as kidney function gets worse, they may
including your heart, work the right way . But too much not be able to remove enough potassium from your body .
potassium in your blood can be dangerous . It can Advanced kidney disease is a common cause of high
cause serious heart problems . potassium . Common causes of kidney disease include
diabetes and high blood pressure .
A diet high in potassium: Eating too much food that is high
in potassium can also cause high potassium, especially
Potassium helps these parts in people with advanced kidney disease . Foods such as
of your body. But—too much melons, orange juice, and bananas are high in potassium .
can be dangerous More about potassium in foods on pages 12-15
Drugs that affect kidney function: Some drugs can keep
your kidneys from removing enough potassium . This can
cause your potassium levels to rise .
Heart More about medicines on pages 6 and 11
Muscles Less common causes
Nerves Taking extra potassium: This includes salt substitutes or
Kidneys certain supplements .
A disorder called “Addison's disease”: This disorder
can occur if your body does not make enough of certain
hormones . Hormones are chemicals produced by
different glands and organs, including the kidneys,
to trigger certain responses in your body .
Burns or other severe injuries
Poorly controlled diabetes
4 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION KIDNEY.ORG 5
Ab
o
Medicines that can cause high potassium ut
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you Important reminder
take, even herbal supplements or over-the-counter drugs . Do not stop taking your prescribed medicines unless
This is very important . Some examples of medicines that your healthcare provider tells you to, especially if you have
can raise your potassium levels are described below . This a medical condition like diabetes, heart disease, high blood
list does not contain all medicines that can raise your pressure, or kidney disease . Call your healthcare provider if
potassium levels . Keep an updated list of all the medicines you have any questions about the medicines you take .
you take . Have it with you during your healthcare visits .
Some blood pressure medicines: Blood pressure Nutritional supplements: Some nutritional supplements
medicines are used to help lower blood pressure . contain potassium and can raise potassium levels . Do
They are also taken by kidney patients to help not take any nutritional supplements without first talking
preserve kidney function and keep kidney disease to your healthcare provider .
from getting worse . Many people with kidney Salt substitutes: Salt substitutes are high in potassium .
disease take blood pressure medicines . Most people with kidney disease should not use them .
Herbal supplements and remedies: Some people Some immunosuppressant medicines (called
take herbal supplements and remedies for general tacrolimus and cyclosporine): Transplant patients take
health . But they may have ingredients that can immunosuppressants to prevent organ rejection . There
raise potassium levels, such as milkweed, lily of are many types of immunosupressants . These 2 types
the valley, Siberian ginseng, Hawthorn berries, can increase potassium levels in some people .
preparations from dried toad skin (Bufo, Chan’su,
Senso), noni juice, alfalfa, dandelion, horsetail, or Some antibiotics (called trimethoprim and pentamidine):
nettle . In general, people with kidney disease should Antibiotics are used to treat infection . Certain antibiotics,
not take herbal supplements . such as trimethoprim and pentamidine, can increase
NSAIDs (“nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs”): potassium levels in some people .
These over-the-counter medicines are used to treat Some potassium-sparing diuretics (called
headache, fever, muscle aches, arthritis, and more . spironolactone, amiloride, and triamterene):
Examples include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen . Some types of diuretics (water pills) are used to help
If taken on a regular basis, they can harm your you lose extra salt but keep extra potassium . Others are
kidneys and cause potassium levels to raise . used to help you to lose salt and extra potassium . If you
have high potassium, you may need to take a diuretic
that helps you lose extra potassium .
6 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION KIDNEY.ORG 7
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