What is the potentially fatal effect of hypokalemia and hyperkalemia?

Answer 1

Hypokalemia is a medical term for low levels of potassium, a mineral that humans need for normal health. One of the body systems affected by hypokalemia and hyperkalemia is the cardiovascular system.

High or low potassium causes abnormalities on an EKG, showing irrigular cardiac arrythmias.

On an EKG of a patient with hypo or hyperkalemia it will show a

U wave - The various spikes, bumps and waves on the ECG tracing follow a specific pattern; if this pattern looks unusual, this may be a signal that something is wrong with the heart. In the case of a patient with hypokalemia, there's an extra "bump" on the ECG tracing, called a "U" wave

Sinus Bradycardia ( abnormal heart rhythms that start out in the ventricles, which are the chambers of the heart that pump blood throughout the body. MedlinePlus describes ventricular fibrillation as a dangerous heart rhythm in which the muscle fibers that make up the ventricle contract in a random, uncontrolled way. When this occurs, the blood in the ventricles does not get pumped out to the rest of the body. If the person who is in ventricular fibrillation does not get immediate medical help, he will die due to cardiac arrest.)

Ventricular Fibrillation - Another effect of hypokalemia on the heart is called sinus bradycardia, a term used to describe a heart rate that is slower than 60 beats per minute.