The potassium levels in your blood can tell a lot about your underlying health adversities. For instance, if you are going through some kidney disease or are experiencing high blood pressure issues, it will show in your potassium levels within the blood.
For you to know, potassium is a type of electrolyte that is essential for the healthy functioning of your nerves and muscles. Even when there is a minor fluctuation in the healthy potassium levels, you might encounter some serious health issues.
Doctors recommend this test as part of the routine health checkup when they feel like your body is experiencing certain electrolyte imbalance symptoms. As human organs and body cells need enough electrolytes to function healthily, ensuring their optimal levels is crucial.
In this article, you will get a clear insight into everything associated with potassium blood tests.
Reason Behind Performing the Potassium Blood Test
When you visit your doctor for a standard metabolic panel test, a potassium test is also suggested alongside the other group of tests being executed on your blood sample. But apart from that, your doctor might also recommend this test for you due to various other reasons, such as:
- Checking or monitoring the electrolyte imbalance.
- Identifying if certain medications, such as heart medicines or diuretics, are altering the potassium levels.
- For diagnosing high blood pressure conditions or heart health issues.
- For diagnosing any potential kidney problem.
- Identifying the metabolic acidosis condition. It is the condition where kidneys fail to remove sufficient acid from your body.
- Determining the cause behind the paralysis attack in a patient.
Procedure for Performing the Potassium Blood Test
Before the test, your doctor will ask you to stop taking any certain medications that might affect the blood test results. You need to take all preparatory guidelines from your doctor, before booking your test slot.
There is no extraordinary procedure for the potassium blood test, as it follows the same drill. A spot on your arm will be cleaned, and an elastic band will be tied on the upper portion of your arm to make the veins more visible. Then, a needle will be punctured into the visible vein to collect the blood sample.
Once the required amount of blood for the test is collected, the needle and the elastic band will be removed. A bandaid will be applied to the punctured site to stop the bleeding. It just takes a few minutes for the professional lab technicians to conduct the test.
You will then be getting the reports either on the same day or on the following day! If requested, the reports can also be sent directly to your doctor for a thorough evaluation of your condition.
There is no special preparatory measure for you to take the potassium blood test. But, you might be asked by your doctor to avoid eating or drinking anything at least a few hours before the test slot. If you have a special case, talk to your healthcare provider for any brief instructions.
Interpreting the Potassium Blood Test Results
Your body demands a healthy amount of potassium for the normal functioning of muscle and nerve cells. As per medical experts, the normal range of potassium for humans is expected to range from 3.6 to 5.2 millimoles/litre. As the healthy amount of potassium in the human body is less, even a tiny bit of fluctuation might adversely affect your health.
When the test report encounters low potassium levels in your blood, it indicates the hypokalemia condition. This might happen due to several reasons, such as:
- Low potassium nutrient in your diet.
- Use of excessive diuretics
- Excessive use of laxatives.
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Chronic diarrhoea
- Folic acid deficiency
- Acetaminophen overdose
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Cushing’s syndrome
When the test report indicates 7.0 millimoles per litre or above, it indicates high potassium levels in your blood, which might be a threat to your life. This condition is called hyperkalemia, and it might be due to eating too much potassium-rich diet or overdosing on supplements. Apart from that, some of the other reasons might be:
- Tissue injury, leading to damage of the muscle fibres.
- Receiving the blood transfusion.
- Consumption of certain medications such as beta-blockers, diuretics, etc.
- Dehydration.
- Type 1 diabetes.
- RBC destruction due to various burns or injury
- Respiratory acidosis
- Addison’s disease
- Kidney failure, etc.
Beyond the high or low results, there is also a chance that the test might give out false outcomes due to certain setbacks. For instance, if you sit relaxed and clench your fist while the lab technician collects your blood sample, this might result in increasing the potassium levels in your blood, which is a false output.
Apart from that, if a rookie lab technician delays the transportation of blood samples to the lab or shakes the vial after collecting it, there is a chance that the potassium might leak out of the respective cells and go into the serum. If your doctors suspect that the result is false, they might recommend you take the potassium blood test yet again.
Also Read: Type 1 Diabetes Signs, Symptoms, Prevention, Test Cost
What Foods Can Help You Keep Your Potassium Levels Balanced in Your Body?
Some of the food items that you must add to your diet to balance the potassium levels in your body are:
- Lima beans
- Swiss chard
- Kidney beans
- Spinach
- Papaya
- Bananas
- Lentils
- Pinto beans
- Sweet potatoes
Depending on your health condition, gender, and age, there is a certain amount of potassium that you should consume in a day. Talk to nutritionists or your healthcare provider for better clarity.
Conclusion
A potassium blood test is quite a simple, routine diagnostic procedure. But even a small alteration can cause serious health issues. So, if your doctor has recommended checking your potassium levels by taking note of some of your electrolyte imbalance symptoms, do not delay getting it done.
Agilus Diagnostics, one of the best diagnostic centres in India, is here to book your priority slots for the potassium blood test. We offer diagnostic tests at the most reasonable rates with the use of modern-day equipment to ensure the accuracy of results.
Agilus Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Limited
