Uncle Yang has been a patient with hypertension for many years. He started taking antihypertensive drugs very early. Because he also pays attention to exercise and restrains his diet in daily life, his blood pressure is relatively well controlled. However, as he grows older, Uncle Yang feels that his blood pressure is becoming less and less stable and often appears to be on the high side. According to the doctor's guidance, Uncle Yang also appropriately increases the use of antihypertensive drugs.
After persisting for a period of time, Uncle Yang’s blood pressure did drop. But the good times didn't last long. Uncle Yang's blood pressure not only began to fluctuate, but he was also prone to cramps when he went to bed at night.
At first, Uncle Yang thought he was suffering from cramps due to calcium deficiency, so he also bought calcium supplements. However, after a period of time, Uncle Yang's cramps not only did not improve, but he also experienced nausea, retching and vomiting when eating every day. In the end, Uncle Yang had no choice but to go to the hospital for treatment. The doctor told him that the problem was caused by taking high blood pressure drugs all year round.
When Uncle Yang heard this, he was even more surprised and confused. He had been taking the same medicine for so many years, and his control was pretty good. Could it be that he was taking the wrong medicine? It turned out that he was not taking the wrong medicine, but part of the medicine caused hypokalemia . It was precisely because of this that the previous abnormalities in his body appeared.
What is hypokalemia, and why do patients with high blood pressure have such problems when they take medicine normally?
Hypokalemia is actually a relatively common thing that occurs in patients with high blood pressure. Many people know that eating too much salt will cause high blood pressure. In fact, it is mainly because of the sodium ions contained in salt. When the sodium in our body increases, the blood pressure also increases. To address this problem, one type of drug used to treat high blood pressure is diuretics, whose main effect is to speed up urination in our body.
When we speed up urination, part of the sodium ions in the body will be excreted with our urine, so that our blood pressure will slowly return to normal. There are many drugs that can treat high blood pressure, and diuretics are only one category. However, it is precisely because of the characteristics of diuretics that hypertensive patients taking such drugs are prone to hypokalemia.
Because when we urinate a lot, not only sodium ions are excreted from the body, but also part of the potassium ions in the body are also excreted.. For people who take diuretics for a long time to treat high blood pressure, the long-term excretion of potassium ions is not fully replenished, which in turn leads to the problem of hypokalemia.
Under normal circumstances, the potassium ion concentration in our normal body should be 3.5-5.5mmol/L. If it is lower than this level, it usually means that we have begun to develop hypokalemia. At this time, we often need treatment. We can use drug supplements or eat more potassium ion-rich foods in time, which can also produce certain effects.
In daily life, few patients go for blood tests, so many people are unaware of hypokalemia. They wait until the hypokalemia becomes serious before starting to supplement, which often poses a threat to our health. In fact, when we suffer from hypokalemia, there will also be some obvious physical manifestations.
Three symptoms indicate that you are suffering from hypokalemia, which requires attention.
. Nausea and vomiting. Gastrointestinal discomfort.
Long-term use of antihypertensive drugs will also cause certain irritation to our bodies. Under normal circumstances, it will lead to electrolyte imbalance in our bodies . Improper diet is more likely to cause regurgitation..If patients with high blood pressure find that they are prone to problems such as loss of appetite and vomiting, it is likely to be due to intestinal paralysis and other problems caused by hypokalemia, which may lead to abdominal pain, diarrhea, intestinal infarction and other adverse reactions.
. General fatigue
Potassium ions in the body are closely related to our nerve reflexes. When potassium ions decrease, we are prone to weakness in our limbs and weakness in our hands and feet. In severe cases, general paralysis may even occur until we stop breathing. This is very harmful to our body. Usually, the more severe the potassium deficiency, the more severe the condition. In mild cases, the limbs will feel weak, especially the lower limbs. Many people will feel weak in the legs and fall down, and can only crawl forward.
. Leg cramps
Many people feel confused that leg cramps are usually caused by insufficient calcium ions? In fact, insufficient potassium ions can also cause leg cramps, because when our body lacks potassium ions, we are prone to abnormal muscle contraction function, and we may feel numbness, soreness, or cramps in our legs. Therefore, for some people who still suffer from cramps after taking calcium supplements every day, it is recommended to go to the hospital to find out the cause before supplementing to avoid adverse effects on the body.
In life, when we find that we are lacking potassium, we can actually supplement it with some potassium-rich foods. In daily life, foods such as pork liver, pork kidneys, mutton, bananas, spinach, oranges, coconuts, etc. are rich in potassium. Fully supplementing potassium ions to maintain cell osmotic pressure and body balance is good for our health. If you need to use potassium supplements, you should still consult your doctor about the dosage, as unauthorized use may also have counter-effects.
Although high blood pressure often does not directly lead to death of patients, it is still more dangerous once some serious complications occur. When patients with hypertension develop physical discomfort and unstable blood pressure control, they must go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time. Hypertension drugs also need to be adjusted by doctors in a timely manner according to the patient's physical condition. Therefore, it is necessary to go to the hospital regularly for physical examinations and consultation on physical conditions.
Reference:
"Beware of hypokalemia as your limbs become weak after exercise" Guangming.com 2021-08-08
"Dizziness, nausea, vomiting... It's not heatstroke, it's hypokalemia!" Zhejiang Medical Online 2018-08-14
