Causes Of Low Sodium And High Potassium. Conditions that cause chronic vomiting can also lead to low potassium levels. And certain medications such as diuretics according to the mayo clinic. It may be caused by a reduced or impaired potassium excretion acute or chronic renal failure potassium sparing diuretics urinary obstruction addison disease. B use of potassium supplements.
Sodium is important for fluid balance while potassium is important for muscle contraction and the heart s rhythm. Several conditions can cause both high sodium and low potassium. A deficiency of aldosterone in particular causes the body to excrete large amounts of sodium and retain potassium leading to low levels of sodium and high levels of potassium in the blood. A potassium level higher than 5 5 mmol l is critically high and a potassium level over 6 mmol l can be life threatening. When sodium potassium and magnesium are all low it is very hard for someone to raise all 3 at once. And certain medications such as diuretics according to the mayo clinic.
Electrolyte disorders are most often caused by a loss of bodily fluids through prolonged vomiting diarrhea or sweating.
Normal results of lipids glucose protein and albumin can help exclude rare causes of low sodium levels which can occur with marked hypertriglyceridaemia hyperglycaemia and hyperproteinaemia. A potassium level higher than 5 5 mmol l is critically high and a potassium level over 6 mmol l can be life threatening. B use of potassium supplements. Conditions that cause chronic vomiting can also lead to low potassium levels. They may also develop due to fluid loss related to burns. They all have to be in balance because too much of one can bump another around.