Electrolyte K+ (serum potassium)
For Fluid & Nerve Balance and Heart diseases
₹450.00
The test for electrolyte Potassium (K+) measures the amount of potassium in the blood serum. It is one of the most vital and frequently performed lab tests due to its critical role in bodily functions and the severe health risks associated with abnormal levels.
Importance of the Potassium (K+) Test
Potassium is the primary intracellular (inside the cells) electrolyte and is crucial for:
Heart Function: It is essential for maintaining a normal heart rhythm. Both high and low levels can cause life-threatening heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias).
Muscle and Nerve Function: It helps nerves and muscles "communicate" and contract properly, including the heart muscle.
Fluid Balance: It helps maintain the proper balance of fluid inside and outside the body's cells.
Because the body maintains a narrow normal range for potassium (typically 3.5 to 5.2 mEq/L or mmol/L), even minor deviations can have significant, sometimes fatal, consequences.
Indications for the Potassium (K+) Test
A serum potassium test is often part of an electrolyte panel and is indicated in the following situations:
Indication Category | Specific Scenarios | Rationale |
Symptom-Based | Symptoms of Low Potassium (Hypokalemia): Irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, fatigue, muscle cramps, or twitching, nausea, vomiting, or constipation. | These symptoms suggest a disruption in nerve and muscle signaling due to low K+. |
Symptoms of High Potassium (Hyperkalemia): Arrhythmia, fatigue, muscle weakness, numbness or tingling. | High K+ can slow or stop the heart and impair muscle function. | |
Disease Monitoring/Diagnosis | Kidney Disease/Failure: High potassium is a common and dangerous complication as the kidneys are responsible for excreting excess potassium. | To diagnose and manage impaired renal clearance of K+. |
Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure: Especially in patients with hypertension, congestive heart failure, or those suspected of having an arrhythmia. | To assess cardiac risk, as K+ levels directly impact heart function. | |
Endocrine Disorders: Such as Addison's disease (risk of high K+) or Cushing's syndrome (risk of low K+). | To diagnose and monitor conditions affecting hormones (like aldosterone) that regulate potassium balance. | |
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA): A complication of uncontrolled diabetes. | To manage the dangerous shifts in potassium that occur during treatment with insulin. | |
Treatment Monitoring | Patients taking Diuretics (Water Pills): Especially non-potassium-sparing ones like Furosemide or Hydrochlorothiazide. | These medications cause the body to excrete more potassium, leading to a risk of hypokalemia. |
Patients taking certain heart or blood pressure medications: Such as ACE inhibitors or ARBs (risk of high K+). | These drugs can impair the kidney's ability to excrete potassium. | |
Patients undergoing Dialysis or receiving Intravenous (IV) fluid therapy. | To closely manage fluid and electrolyte balance. | |
Acute Conditions | Severe Diarrhea or Vomiting: Significant loss of fluid and electrolytes. | To detect and correct hypokalemia caused by fluid loss. |
Trauma, Severe Burns, or Surgery: Crushed tissue can release large amounts of potassium into the bloodstream. | To detect and manage the risk of acute hyperkalemia. |