Electrolyte Imbalance, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

by Kenneth Kee

Overview

This book describes Electrolyte Imbalance, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Electrolyte imbalance in the body can produce fluctuations in the important electrolytes such as sodium and potassium which can affect the heart and kidney functions adversely.

Electrolyte Imbalance Diseases are medical disorders which are involved by the alterations in the balance of sodium and potassium in the blood.

Common diseases are:
1. Hyponatremia or Low Sodium is caused by water intoxication.
2. Hypernatremia or High Sodium is normally linked with dehydration.
3. Hypokalemia or Low Potassium happens when the body loses too much potassium from vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, and medicines like diuretics or laxatives.
4. Hyperkalemia or High Potassium is a life-threatening disorder which produces abnormal electrical conduction in the heart and possibly life-threatening heart rhythm disorders.

Electrolytes are chemicals that are necessary for the cells in the body to function.

Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and others are required in permitting cells to:
1. Generate energy,
2. Maintain the stability of their walls,
3. Contract muscles

They are monitored by hormones like
1. Renin from the kidney,
2. Angiotensin from the lung, brain and heart,
3. Aldosterone from the adrenal gland, and
4. Antidiuretic hormone from the pituitary

These hormones monitor the amount of sodium, potassium, and water in the bloodstream and keep the electrolyte balance within a very narrow range of normal limits for the body to function.

Ensuring that the electrolyte concentrations are in good balance, stops the body from dehydration.

Electrolytes are important for basic life function such as maintaining electrical neutrality in the cells, generation, and conduction of action potentials in the nerves and muscles.

Sodium, potassium, and chloride are the important electrolytes together with magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonates.

Electrolytes are obtained from the food and fluids.

These electrolytes can develop an imbalance, causing either high or low levels.

A high or a low level of electrolytes interferes with the normal bodily functions and can cause even life-threatening complications.

The measurement of electrolytes will help the doctors in the diagnosis of a medical disorder, the effectiveness of treatment and the possible side effect of medicines.

A patient with heart failure receiving diuretics requires a workup for potassium, bicarbonate, magnesium as diuretics can produce adverse effects on electrolyte balance

A patient that manifests with weakness requires a basic electrolyte workup, as an electrolyte imbalance, particularly in sodium and potassium levels, can cause fatigue

Hypomagnesemia can cause hypocalcemia as it disrupts the action of parathormone.

Administration of intravenous insulin is linked with a spurious reduction in potassium levels as insulin moves potassium intra-cellularly.

Most of the calcium is attached to proteins, out of which albumin-bound calcium comprises 80%.

In a patient with hypoalbuminemia as present in liver cirrhosis, the nephrotic syndrome will have low calcium levels as compared to the actual values.

Treatment

1. Remove causes:

2. Restore low electrolyte levels

3. Assess electrolyte levels during hospital stay

4. Eliminate high electrolyte levels

a. Diuretics to raise electrolyte excretion in the urine.
b. Cation-exchange resins are drugs that attach to electrolyte and cause its elimination via the gastrointestinal tract.

Hemodialysis

If the patient has high electrolyte due to kidney failure, hemodialysis is the best treatment method.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Electrolyte Imbalance
Chapter 2 Hyponatremia
Chapter 3 Hypokalemia
Chapter 4 Hyperkalemia
Chapter 5 Hypocalcemia
Chapter 6 Hypercalcemia
Chapter 7 Magnesium Deficiency
Chapter 8 Hypophosphatemia
Epilogue

Product Details

BN ID:	2940163478002
Publisher:	Kenneth Kee
Publication date:	02/21/2020
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	156 KB

About the Author

Medical doctor since 1972. Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009. Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993. Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 70. However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com This autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com. From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks. He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books. He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures. Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple. For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients. The later books go into more details of medical disorders. He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter. The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks. He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke. His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre. The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall. He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) starting with the Apple computer and going to PC. The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core. The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive. He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance. His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner. The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned. This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale. Dr Kee is the author of: "A Family Doctor's Tale" "Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine" "Case Notes From A Family Doctor"