Published: 2013-08-22 years Updated: 2021-08-30
Author: Thomas C. Weiss | Contact: Disabled-World.com
Peer-reviewed publications: N / A
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Summary: Information on electrolytes in the human body includes what they are and what can happen when an imbalance occurs. Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium and others are important in allowing one’s cells to generate energy, maintain cell wall stability, as well as overall functioning. They generate electricity, contract muscles, move fluids and water in a person’s body, and participate in a number of complementary activities.
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Main announcement
Electrolytes are the smallest of the chemicals that are important for the cells in a person’s body to function and allow their body to function.
Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium and others are important in allowing one’s cells to generate energy, maintain cell wall stability, as well as overall functioning. They generate electricity, contract muscles, move fluids and water in a person’s body, and participate in a number of complementary activities.
Electrolyte levels in a person’s body are controlled by various hormones, the majority of which are produced in the person’s kidneys and adrenal glands. Sensors in specialized kidney cells monitor the amount of potassium, sodium, and water in a person’s blood. A person’s body functions within a really narrow average range and it’s hormones like ‘renin’, which is produced in the kidneys, ‘angiotensin’, from one’s brain, lungs and heart, ‘aldosterone,’ from their adrenal glands. gland and ‘antidiuretic’ hormone from the pituitary gland to help keep electrolyte balance within moderate limits. Keeping electrolyte levels in balance also includes stimulating a person’s thirst mechanism when their body is dehydrated.
Bicarbonate balance
Bicarbonate is an electrolyte that is an important component of the equation that keeps the acid-base state in one’s body in balance. A person’s lungs regulate carbon dioxide and their kidneys regulate bicarbonate. Electrolytes help buffer acids that build up in a person’s body as a normal byproduct of metabolism. For example; When a person’s muscles work, they produce lactic acid as a byproduct of energy generation. Bicarbonate is needed to bond hydrogen released from acids to form carbon dioxide and water. When a person’s body malfunctions, too much acid can also be produced and bicarbonate is needed to try to compensate for the additional acid production. Measuring the amount of bicarbonate in a person’s blood can help a healthcare practitioner decide how severe the acid-base balance is in the person’s body.
Calcium balance
‘Calcitonin’, is what promotes bone growth and lowers a person’s blood calcium levels. Parathyroid hormone does the opposite. Calcium binds to proteins in a person’s blood, so calcium levels are related to the person’s nutrition as well as the amount of calcium in their diet. The metabolism of calcium in a person’s body is closely related to magnesium levels. Many times, a person’s magnesium status needs to be optimized before their calcium levels can be treated.
‘Hypercalcaemia’ has been linked to symptoms including abdominal pain, kidney stones and depression. Too much calcium can also be linked to arrhythmias. Causes of hypercalcemia include parathyroid tumors and other tumors including breast cancer, as well as Paget’s disease, kidney failure and excess amounts of Vitamin A or D. ‘Hypocalcemia’, often associated with eating disorders or parathyroid hormone deficiency. Symptoms a person may experience include muscle spasms, muscle weakness, or heart rhythm disturbances.
Magnesium balance
Magnesium is an electrolyte that is involved in many metabolic activities in a person’s body, including relaxing smooth muscles around the bronchial tubes in the lungs, contracting skeletal muscles, and stimulating nerve cells in the lungs. Brain. Magnesium acts as a cofactor in several enzymatic activities of the body. The level of magnesium in a person’s body is closely related to the metabolism of potassium, sodium, and calcium and is regulated by that person’s kidneys. Magnesium enters a person’s body through their diet, and the amount of magnesium absorbed depends on the magnesium concentration in the body. Too little magnesium will stimulate absorption from a person’s intestines and too much will decrease absorption.
‘Hypotension,’ or too little magnesium in a person’s blood, can happen for a number of reasons. Some have to do with dietary deficiencies, the person’s inability to absorb magnesium, or increased excretion. Common causes of low magnesium include alcoholism and related malnutrition, chronic diarrhea, as well as medications such as diuretics. More than half of people hospitalized in Intensive Care Units (ICU’s) may have a magnesium deficiency. Symptoms a person may experience include irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, cramps, confusion, seizures, or hallucinations.
‘Hypermagnesemia’ is a condition involving too much magnesium in a person’s blood and most commonly occurs in people with kidney function problems in which the excretion of magnesium is limited. In people with this condition, getting too much magnesium in their diet or from magnesium-containing medications such as Maalox or magnesium-containing milk can increase magnesium levels. Because magnesium absorption and excretion are linked with other electrolytes, other diseases may be associated with higher magnesium levels, including adrenal insufficiency, diabetic ketoacidosis, or hyperthyroidism. ‘Multiple hypermagnesaemia is associated with hypocalcemia and hyperkalemia. Symptoms a person may experience include irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and shortness of breath.
Potassium balance
Potassium is most concentrated inside the cells of a person’s body. Gradient, or the difference in concentration from inside cells compared to plasma, is essential in generating electrical impulses in a person’s body to allow their muscles and brain to function properly. .
‘Hyperkalemia’ is a potentially life-threatening condition as it causes abnormal electrical conduction in a person’s heart and heart rhythm problems that can be life-threatening. High potassium levels are often associated with kidney failure, where potassium builds up and cannot be eliminated in the urine. Medicines may be used to lower a person’s potassium levels until their kidneys are able to excrete the excess potassium through the person’s urine. Urgent dialysis may be required; however, to remove potassium if the person’s kidney function is poor.
‘Hypokalemia’ usually occurs when a person’s body loses too much potassium due to diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, or medications such as laxatives or diuretics. This condition is common in diabetic ketoacidosis, where excessive amounts of potassium are lost through a person’s urine. Since the chemicals in a person’s body are involved in their metabolism, low magnesium levels can be related to hypokalemia.
Sodium balance
Sodium is normally found outside the cells in the plasma of a person’s blood stream and is an important part of water regulation in their body, as water will displace sodium. If there is too much sodium in a person’s body, possibly due to eating too much salt in their diet, it will be eliminated by the kidneys and water will be eliminated accordingly. Sodium is an important electrolyte that aids the electrical signals in a person’s body, allowing their muscles to work and the person’s brain to function. It is half of the electric pump at the cellular level to keep the sodium in the person’s plasma and the potassium inside their cells.
‘Hypernatremia’ is often associated with dehydration and instead of having too much sodium, having too little water. Dehydration can occur from diarrhea or vomiting, drinking liquids with too much salt, or sweating from fever or exercise. On the other hand, ‘hyponatremia’, is a condition caused by water intoxication or by drinking so much water that it dilutes the sodium in one’s blood and overwhelms the compensatory mechanism of the kidneys, or by the syndrome of antidiuretic hormone secretion inappropriate (SIADH). SIADH may be associated with conditions such as cancer, brain disease, thyroid problems, or certain medications.
Too much or too little sodium can cause a person’s cells to malfunction. Confusion, coma, swelling, weakness, seizures, or even coma are some of the symptoms that can occur with hyper or hyponatremia. Treatment of these conditions depends on the underlying cause, although it is important for the healthcare practitioner to understand the reasons for the person’s sodium levels and to correct the sodium balance rather slowly. Rapid sodium correction can cause abnormal flow of water in or out of the person’s cells, something that is particularly important to consider in order to prevent brain cell damage or ‘central pontinemyolysis’. heart’.
Electrolyte board
An electrolyte panel includes a blood test, a table that measures the levels of electrolytes and carbon dioxide in a person’s blood. Carbon dioxide (CO2) measures as a waste product in this test, a substance produced when a person’s body breaks down food for energy. Electrolytes keep a person’s body fluids in balance and help their body function, including muscle contraction, heart rate, and brain function. This test is sometimes called the ‘bicarbonate test.’ A doctor may order an electrolyte panel as part of a person’s routine physical exam. Your doctor may use the test to check for or diagnose a medical condition. A doctor can also use this test to see if any medication a person takes changes their electrolyte levels.
Author credentials:
Thomas C. Weiss is a researcher and editor for Disabled World. Thomas attended college and university courses for a Master’s, Bachelor’s and two Associate’s degrees, as well as studying Disability Studies. As a Nursing Assistant, Thomas has supported people of many racial, religious, gender, class and age groups by providing care to people with all forms of disabilities. disability from Multiple Sclerosis to Parkinson’s; paralysis and quadriplegia for spina bifida.
Disability World is an independent disability community founded in 2004 to provide disability news and information to people with disabilities, seniors, their families and/or carers. . Check out our homepage for helpful news, reviews, sports, stories and guides. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or learn more about Disability World on our about us page.
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• Citation of this Page (APA): Thomas C. Weiss. (2013, August 22). What are electrolytes in the body and how do they work? The world of people with disabilities. Accessed October 28, 2022 from www.disabled-world.com/health/electrolytes.php
• Permalinks: What are electrolytes in the body and how do they work?
