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Hypokalemia - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Lymphatic vessels
      - Blood vessels
  - - - Sweat
      - Kidneys (most)
        
        Where excess potassium is secreted into a renal tubule and excreted in the urine
      - GI tract = caca
    - - Treatments:
        
        Vomiting, diarrhea = using potassium-sparing diuretics
        
        Potassium stores with supplementation
      - Diagnosis:
        
        Low levels of potassium in the blood, generally below 3.5 mEq/L
        
        an electrocardiogram
      - Clinical manifestations:
        
        With low potassium in the blood, the membrane potential can hyperpolarize (more negative) = less reactive to stimuli
        
        Diminished contractions of smooth muscles can lead to constipation
        
        Diminished skeletal muscle contractions can lead to muscle weakness, cramps, and flaccid paralysis, which tends to begins in the lower extremities and ascends upward
        
        Respiratory depression
        
        Cardiac arrhythmias as well as cardiac arrest
- - - - Processes of filtration, reabsorption, and secretion in Nephron:
        
        Potassium freely filtered from the blood into the urine at the glomerulus
        
        Distal convoluted tubul and collecting duct = 13% of potassium can be regulated depending on what the body needs
        
        Remaining potassium is secreted if not needed
        
        Reabsorption = alpha-intercalated cells
        
        Secretion = principal cells + Aldosterone help regulate the secretion (by increasing the pump and channels)
        
        Aldosterone increases the number of sodium channels on the lumen side and sodium-potassium pumps on the basolateral side of the principal cells
        
        This allows sodium to move from the tubule into the cell, and then get pumped into the blood by the sodium-potassium pumps.
        
        Hyperaldosteronism
        
        More potassium secretion by the principal cells, meaning more gets excreted, and that means less potassium is retained, causing hypokalemia
        
        Used of Diuretics => Hypokalemia
        
        Vomiting and diarrhea
        
        Increased losses of gastrointestinal secretions but not important
        
        Loss of stomach acid leads to metabolic alkalosis, which as we already saw, can lead to hypokalemia
        
        BUT = Lower GI tract secretes more potassium, so more gets directly lost in the feces in cases of chronic diarrhea, like from infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, as well as laxative abuse
        
        Sweat