Hypokalemia generally refers to hypokalemia. Patients with hypokalemia may have muscle weakness, cardiac arrhythmia, metabolic alkalosis, and also renal dysfunction such as polyuria and thirst, as well as gastrointestinal motility reduction such as abdominal distension and nausea.
1, muscle weakness: usually serum potassium is lower than 3.5mmol/l, for hypokalemia. The earliest clinical manifestation of hypokalemia is muscle weakness, which is dominated by limb weakness and delayed paralysis, and with the development of the disease, further muscle weakness of trunk and respiratory muscles can occur.
Arrhythmia: When acute hypokalemia occurs, it can lead to arrhythmia, manifested by anterior contraction, tachycardia and even ventricular fibrillation.
Acid-base balance disorder: hypokalemia can cause metabolic alkalosis.
4, Renal dysfunction: Hypokalemia can damage kidneys and cause symptoms such as polyuria and thirst.
Weakened gastrointestinal motility: hypokalemia can lead to reduced gastrointestinal peristalsis, thus causing abdominal distension, loss of appetite, nausea, weakened intestinal sounds, and in severe cases, paralytic intestinal obstruction.
When physical examination reveals that serum potassium is lower than normal value, or when symptoms such as recurrent loss of appetite, generalized weakness and polyuria occur, one should be alert to the occurrence of hypokalemia, and need to consult a doctor in time, and if necessary, have the doctor carry out targeted treatment.