Generality
Potassium deficiency - termed hypokalaemia or hypokalaemia in medical language - becomes manifest when the concentration of the mineral in the blood is below 3.5 mEq / L.
Generally, mild potassium deficiencies cause no symptoms or complaints of any kind. Conversely, severe hypokalaemia is a potentially fatal condition due to the onset of cardiac muscle contraction disorders.
Symptoms and Complications
Clinical symptoms related to potassium deficiency include:
muscle cramps, asthenia, constipation and poor appetite; sometimes signs of neuromuscular hyperexcitability may appear, manifesting themselves with sudden flashes and spontaneous fasciculations.
In severe cases, potassium deficiency can lead to hypoventilation up to respiratory paralysis, bradycardia with changes in the electrocardiographic trace and cardiac arrhythmias, flaccid paralysis and tendon hyporeflexia, paralytic ileus (intestinal obstruction for the cessation of peristaltic movements) and polyuria.
Causes
The most common causes that can lead to a potassium deficiency are:
- digestive system disorders and diseases that cause prolonged vomiting or diarrhea (eg ulcerative colitis, villous adenoma of the colon, repeated enemas, gastric lavages, laxative abuse);
- strenuous exercise, profuse sweating and fluid loss in general (as in extensive burns);
- excess sodium in the diet and insufficient potassium intake;
- malabsorption syndromes;
- abuse of licorice;
- abuse of certain diuretics (those potassiums such as furosemide or thiazide derivatives).
Primary or secondary aldosteronism (cirrhosis of the liver), insulin therapy (insulin increases the entry of potassium into the cells), diabetes insipidus, kidney disease, Cushing's syndrome and prolonged intake of cortisone drugs may also be at the basis of hypokalaemia.
The reduced dietary intake, isolated from the other possible causes of hypokalaemia, hardly determines significant deficiencies in potassium.
Treatment
The diet can possibly be supported by specific supplements to be taken orally. Potassium salts are administered intravenously only in the most severe cases or when there are disorders that prevent oral intake.
Foods rich in potassium include: bananas, apricots, tomatoes, potatoes, legumes and dried fruit (avoid salty ones); meat and milk also have a good potassium content.
Saline and Sport supplements
A possible potassium supplementation can be taken into consideration during the hot and humid months, especially in athletes engaged in prolonged efforts and subjected to frequent and abundant sweating (cyclists, marathon runners, etc.); the reintegration of mineral salts, however, is in a certain sense more important in improvised athletes, as the body adaptation mechanisms that lead to the saving of mineral salts are not immediate but take a few days.
It should also be emphasized the need not to exceed the recommended dosages, since too much potassium is as dangerous as a deficiency.
In the sport physiology texts consulted, the specific reintegration of potassium is not recommended, but the importance of an adequate dietary intake and the possible use of hydrosaline drinks (which provide a calibrated supply not only of potassium, but also of sodium, are emphasized). chlorine, magnesium and small amounts of carbohydrates).
Regardless of the risk of running into deficiencies, a healthy and balanced diet should contain similar amounts of sodium and potassium; however, many people - while satisfying the needs of the latter - tend to exceed the consumption of sodium, a condition that in the long run could favor the onset of hypertension. Even the intake of the much demonized sodium (see the specific article on low-content waters) is however important, especially during the summer months; it is therefore important to limit it without completely excluding it from the diet.
