Potassium deficiency...

The Symptom of Potassium DeficiencyThe most common symptom of potassium deficiency is muscle weakness. While even this may not be felt by many people suffering from only mild potassium deficiency, the symptom can come in other forms such as confusion, irritability or fatigue. Simpy put, while a proper balance of potassium can help muscles and nerves function properly, lower the risk of blood pressure and also maintain a proper electrolyte and acid-base balance, a potassium deficiency would affect all of these functions and cause them to perform on a sub-par level. For example, in the case of the role potassium plays with the muscles, it affects the frequency which muscles contract at and the degree to which nerves become excitable. Thus impairing this ability can severely hinder any muscle contractions.

How Potassium Deficiency Leads to a More Threatening Symptom in Human HealthDespite the sense that an initial symptom in human health of potassium deficiency may not be so serious, if prolonged, potassium deficiency can lead to some very threatening health problems. Chief among these is hypokalemia, which is a life-threatening symptom in human health. The main reason this condition is so life threatening is that it can lead to cardiac arrythmia, which is an irregular contractions of the heart. This in turn can be a symptom leading up to a cardiac arrest, which is very often fatal if not treated in time. Despite the fact that most potassium deficiency cases do not get to this stage, and very often only suffer from the milder symptoms, the fact remains that this is a very real symptom in human health and should be viewed seriously. Even if a person with cardiac arrythmia does not go into arrest, he could suffer from palpitation that is an awareness of the beating of the heart at a pace that is not normal. Palpitation can often be very aggravating.

The Cause Behind Potassium DeficiencyThe main cause of most potassium deficiency cases is dietary. On average, most people simply do not consume enough potassium to maintain a healthy balance. The recommended daily intake is about 4,700 mg, however many would on average only take in half this amount. Many types of fruits, vegetables, and some meats have high potassium content. Examples of these are oranges, bananas, lima beans and even yam. In some cases, cooking can lead to a loss of potassium, however it is still advisable to consume as much of these as possible. The only scenario where consuming too much potassium could be harmful is for those who have kidney problems which then may lead to hyperkalemia if too much potassium is consumed. However, not all potassium deficiency problems are dietary. Factors like too much physical activity, the use of diuretics, and poor water intake can increase the need for a higher potassium intake.

The Symptoms in Human Health: Can Potassium Deficiency Be Treated?Any potassium deficiency can normally be treated despite whatever the cause may be. Generally, the most efficient form of long term treatment would involve identifying the cause and treating the problem based on that. Simply put, for someone suffering from potassium deficiency symptoms in human health due to dietary reasons, altering ones daily intake of potassium would probably go a long way to helping. For more serious cases there are a number of things that a local doctor would readily recommend.