What is Hyperkalemia? Hyperkalemia is the medical term for when you experience high potassium levels in your blood. In terms of numbers, a healthy individual will have between 3.6mmol/L and 5.2mmol/L in their body. Anything higher than that is officially classified as hyperkalemia. Between 5.3mmol/L and 6.0mmol/L is mild hyperkalemia. Between 6.1mmol/L and 7.0 mmol/L is moderate hyperkalemia. Above 7mmol/L is severe hyperkalemia. Why is Too Much Potassium Harmful? Potassium is healthy for you in the right doses. Your body needs it to function properly. It is an incredibly important substance that plays a vital role in your nerves and muscle cells. This means that you need it for your heart to work. Like with anything else, too much of a good thing is not good. The more common form of hyperkalemia only rears mild to moderate symptoms. The most extreme severities of this condition can result in death. Symptoms of Hyperkalemia Generally, until your hyperkalemia is severe, you may not even experience or recognize any of the symptoms. As your levels soar to dangerous heights, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms: Muscle weakness or pain. Your muscles may feel tender or even painful. It may feel as though you just finished an intense workout. Fatigue. Despite getting adequate sleep, you may feel sluggish and tired the entire day or you may be too weak to function. Nausea. An upset stomach may or may not be accompanied by some vomiting. This is a common sign of hyperkalemia. Breathing problems. You may find it difficult to take deep breaths or find yourself forced to gasp for air. Irregular heartbeat. Your heart may beat funnily or feel weird in your chest. This is always a symptom to bring up to your doctor immediately. Chest pains. Chest pains ranging from mild to severe are a common result of hyperkalemia. In the most extreme cases, hyperkalemia left untreated can cause cardiac arrest and death. What Causes Hyperkalemia? There are several known causes of hyperkalemia, which range from medical disorders to lifestyle habits. Hyperkalemia is known to have many causes. These include: Kidney Disease The main function of a kidney is that it filters everything in your body. When there is something wrong with your kidneys, it can mess up all sorts of vitamin levels in your body. Potassium is just one of them. Heart Disease Heart disease results in a variety of factors that make it more likely to have problems with your potassium levels. Hormone Imbalances Having abnormally low amounts of aldosterone can result in potassium problems. This can happen due to a variety of conditions, including hypoaldosteronism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Diabetes A lack of insulin may be the culprit behind enhanced potassium levels. This is something that would be more likely to occur if diabetes is undermanaged (or undiagnosed). [youmaylike] Medications Side effects of certain medications could cause potassium levels to rise. You may be surprised to see that some common medications will do this. Non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, will do it. Some of the other medications that can do this are heparin, mannitol, beta-blockers, angiotensin inhibitors, calcium blockers, and cyclosporine. Diet Medications are not the only way to introduce potassium to the body. There are lots of foods that can lead to heightened potassium levels. Many of these foods are healthy, but to a person at risk for hyperkalemia, they can be dangerous if not eaten in responsible quantities. There is also the chance that you are a victim of pseudo hyperkalemia. As the name suggests, you do not have any potassium problems. Sometimes due to faulty equipment, you will get a wrong reading. Hyperkalemia Treatment To determine how to treat hyperkalemia, it is important that you first identify the cause of it in yourself. Getting advice from a licensed medical physician is the best way to determine your treatments. Diet Change Changing your diet can do wonders for your health. If you battle hyperkalemia, consider limiting your intake of foods rich in potassium like cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes, bananas, grapefruit, oranges, eggplants and peas. Intravenous Calcium or Insulin and Glucose Medical injections are an efficient and fast technique to lower calcium levels. When diet alone is not enough, these can drop your potassium levels to a safer place in a pinch. Albuterol Doctors may also administer albuterol alone or in addition to other treatments. Unfortunately, this does not work for everyone. Changing Medications If a certain medication is causing dangerous, unwanted side effects, you may want to talk to your doctor about switching.
Is Endometriosis Genetic?
It’s not uncommon for people to feel some discomfort or pain before, during, and after their menstrual cycle. However, if you find this pain extreme or consistent, there may be underlying medical problems worth addressing. It’s important you talk with your doctor about any reproductive health concerns so you can get the treatment you need to feel better and stay healthy. Many people are surprised to learn that their pain is caused by a condition called endometriosis.
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition referring to the abnormal development of the endometrium. The endometrium is the tissue that lines the uterus. This tissue is normally different from tissues in the surrounding organs of the reproductive system.
However, abnormalities sometimes result in tissues similar to the endometrium growing beyond the uterus. Endometriosis manifests itself differently between individuals. Most often, cases involve tissue abnormalities in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the pelvic region. In severe cases, tissue may expand beyond this area.
The condition may result in several different symptoms, including:
- Dysmenorrhea — painful periods are common for many people; however, excessive or extreme pain is sometimes the result of a medical condition. Discuss painful periods with your physician.
- Painful intercourse — many different factors cause sex to be painful. Pain during or following intercourse is sometimes a sign of endometriosis.
- Heavy bleeding — very heavy bleeding or intermenstrual bleeding (bleeding between periods) should be discussed with a primary care physician.
- Infertility — although not everyone that experiences endometriosis has problems getting pregnant, infertility is a common symptom. Many individuals who have endometriosis discover their condition when consulting with a fertility doctor due to difficulties conceiving.
Those with endometriosis may also suffer from diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating, or loss of energy. Sometimes, these symptoms are only present during the menstrual cycle. The severity of symptoms varies between individuals, and while some may suffer from severe symptoms, others only experience mild troubles. In many cases, endometriosis is ignored or misdiagnosed as a “normal” period.
How Do I Get Diagnosed for Endometriosis?
Early diagnosis of endometriosis is key to getting treatment and managing symptoms. In addition to the physical exam where doctors ask you questions about your condition, diagnosing endometriosis requires several physical evaluations.
Pelvic Exam
In a pelvic exam, a trained medical professional will manually feel your pelvic area. They do this to determine any abnormalities around your pelvic such as cysts or scars. While this can help, many times, an endometriosis examination requires additional diagnostic tests.
Ultrasound
Ultrasounds use sound waves to create images of your internal anatomy. This technique is incredibly useful for capturing images of internal organs, including those of the reproductive system. Standard ultrasounds may help detect cysts, but transvaginal ultrasounds are more common for diagnosing endometriosis. It involves using a transducer, a unique camera device used in ultrasounds. Doctors may press it directly against your abdomen or insert it into the vagina.
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is another popular technique used to capture the body’s internal images. Rather than using high-frequency sound ways, MRI machines use a strong magnetic field and radio waves to capture detailed pictures of internal tissues.
Laparoscopy
Laparoscopes are like cameras meant to allow surgeons to see inside of the body. Physicians make a small incision and insert the device inside your body to see direct pictures of your internal anatomy without exposing your internal organs.
What Causes Endometriosis?
There are several different reasons why an individual may have endometriosis. While it is difficult to determine the exact cause of a particular case of endometriosis, scientists have found several explanations to explain the condition.
Retrograde Menstruation
When an individual experiences a period, their menstrual blood that contains endometrial cells expel from the body. With retrograde menstruation, these cells would go back into the pelvic cavity and thicken and grow.
Peritoneal Cell Transformation
Peritoneal cells, which normally line the inner side of your abdomen, undergo a transformation into endometrial-like cells during maturation.
Scar Attachment
Following a medical procedure resulting in a scar forming around the reproductive area, such as during a cesarean delivery (C-section), endometrial cells attach to the scar and continue to flourish.
Blood Flow
Vessels may carry endometrial cells to other areas in the body.
Other Conditions
There is also a theory that other people do have endometrial cells growing outside of their uterus occasionally, but their body knows to attack it and prevent growth. Individuals suffering from immune disorders may not have the fighting power to prevent this growth.
Is Endometriosis Genetic?
Researchers found a strong connection between cases of endometriosis and genes. If an individual has a mother, sister, or grandmother who has endometriosis, the chances of her receiving a diagnosis significantly increases. If you believe you or a loved one may be suffering from endometriosis, make an appointment with your physician.