Isidro, Eldon Vince

BSN 3YS1

FLUIDS AND ELECTROLYTES

IMBALANCES
What Is An Electrolyte Imbalance?

There are many causes for an electrolyte imbalance. Causes for an electrolyte imbalance may
include:

 Loss of body fluids from prolonged vomiting, diarrhea, sweating or high fever
 Inadequate diet and lack of vitamins from food
 Malabsorption - your body may be unable to absorb these electrolytes due to a variety of
stomach disorders, medications, or may be how food is taken in
 Hormonal or endocrine disorders
 Kidney disease
 A complication of chemotherapy is tumor lysis syndrome. This occurs when your body
breaks down tumor cells rapidly after chemotherapy, causing a low blood calcium level,
high blood potassium levels, and other electrolyte abnormalities.

Certain medications may cause an electrolyte imbalance such as:

 Chemotherapy drugs (cisplatin)

 Diuretics (furosemide[Lasix] or bumetanide[Bumex])
 Antibiotics (amphotericin B)
 Corticosteroids (hydrocortisone)

Symptoms of Electrolyte Imbalance:

 As described, an electrolyte imbalance may create a number of symptoms. The

symptoms of electrolyte imbalance are based on which of the electrolyte levels are
affected.
 If your blood test results indicate an altered potassium, magnesium, sodium, or calcium
levels, you may experience muscle spasm, weakness, twitching, or convulsions.
 Blood test results showing low levels may lead to: irregular heartbeat, confusion, blood
pressure changes, nervous system or bone disorders.
 Blood test results showing high levels may lead to: weakness or twitching of the muscles,
numbness, fatigue, irregular heartbeat and blood pressure changes.
How Is An Electrolyte Imbalance Diagnosed?

An electrolyte imbalance is usually diagnosed based upon information obtained through:

 Your history of symptoms.

 A physical examination by your healthcare provider.
 Urine and blood test results.
 If there are other abnormalities based on these findings, your healthcare provider may
suggest further testing, such as an EKG. (Severely high or low potassium, magnesium
and/or sodium levels can affect your heart rhythm.)
 If you have an electrolyte imbalance due to kidney problems, your healthcare provider
may want to do an ultrasound or x-ray of your kidneys.

Treatment of An Electrolyte Imbalance:

 Identifying and treating the underlying problemcausing the electrolyte imbalance.

 Intravenous fluids, electrolyte replacement.
 A Minor electrolyte imbalance may be corrected by diet changes. For example; eating a
diet rich in potassium if you have low potassium levels, or restricting your water intake if
you have a low blood sodium level.

Normal Adult Values

Calcium: 4.5-5.5 mEq/L
Chloride: 97-107 mEq/L
Potassium: 3.5-5.3 mEq/L
Magnesium: 1.5-2.5 mEq/L
Sodium: 136-145 mEq/L

* Note: Normal values may vary from laboratory to laboratory.