What do you know about high potassium and kidney disease?

If you have kidney disease, you are at risk for high potassium (hyperkalemia) because your kidneys cannot remove the extra potassium in your blood. Having too much potassium in your blood is a serious condition and can be dangerous. High potassium can even cause a heart attack or death!

Unfortunately, many people do not feel symptoms of high potassium until it’s too late and their heart health worsens. If you do feel symptoms, some of the most common are: feeling tired or weak, feeling sick to the stomach (nausea), muscle pains or cramps or trouble breathing.

1/2 cup of black beans has 370 mg potassium, one egg has 69 mg and 1/2 grapefruit has 156 mg. High-potassium foods and drinks are those with more than 200 mg of potassium per serving. Potassium values depend on portion sizes. Foods low in potassium can become high potassium foods if a larger portion is eaten. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about how much potassium you should have each day

Potassium binders are medicines that work by sticking to the potassium in your body and preventing some of it from being taken into your bloodstream. This prevents potassium from building up in your blood.