Potassium is an electrolyte that helps your cells and organs work. Your body needs it to digest food, keep your heart beating right, and various other activities. You get most of your potassium from foods. Your body uses what it needs, and your kidneys put the rest into your urine as waste.
A potassium test measures how much potassium is in the urine. Potassium levels often change with sodium levels. When sodium levels go up, potassium levels go down. When sodium levels go down, potassium levels go up. These levels are also affected by a hormone called aldosterone. This hormone is made by the adrenal glands.
Potassium levels can be affected by how the kidneys are working, the blood pH, and the amount of potassium you eat. The hormone levels in your body, severe vomiting, and taking certain medicines such as diuretics and potassium supplements can also affect the levels. Certain cancer treatments that destroy cancer cells can also raise potassium levels.
Many foods are rich in potassium. Some examples are potatoes, bananas, prunes, orange juice, and winter squash. A balanced diet has enough potassium for the body’s needs. But if your levels get low, it can take some time for your body to start holding on to potassium.
A potassium level that is too high or too low can be serious.
References:
– http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hyperkalemia/MY00940
– http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/low-potassium/basics/definition/sym-20050632
– https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/potassium/tab/test/
Lab Results Explained and Tracked
What does it mean if your Potassium, Urine result is too high?
Having too much potassium in your body is called hyperkalemia. It can cause:
– nausea
– fatigue
– muscle weakness
– abnormal heart rhythms
Hyperkalemia is most likely caused by acute kidney failure or chronic kidney disease.
Other causes of high potassium levels in urine include:
– acute tubular necrosis
– eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia
– other kidney diseases
– low blood magnesium levels, called hypomagnesaemia
– lupus
– medicines
– renal tubular acidosis
– excessive use of diuretics or potassium supplements
– type 1 diabetes
– alcoholism or heavy drug use
– Addison’s disease
All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results Easily
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
Cancel or upgrade anytime
What does it mean if your Potassium, Urine result is too low?
Too little potassium in your body is called hypokalemia. A severe loss or drop in potassium can cause:
– weakness
– fatigue
– muscle cramps or spasms
– constipation
A low level of potassium in your urine may be caused by:
– adrenal gland insufficiency
– eating disorders, such as bulimia
– excessive sweating
– excessive laxative use
– magnesium deficiency
– certain medicines
– excessive vomiting or diarrhea
– excessive alcohol use
– folic acid deficiency
– diabetic ketoacidosis
– chronic kidney disease
Article Review & Sources
All our content is backed by peer-reviewed studies, academic research, and trusted medical sources. We're committed to accuracy and transparency — see our editorial policy for details.
Laboratories
Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place
We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
Pricing Table
Gather Your Lab History — and Finally Make Sense of It
Finally, Your Lab Results Organized and Clear
Personal plans
$79/ year
Advanced Plan
Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 5 reports entered for you
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
$250/ once
Unlimited Account
Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 10 reports entered for you
- No subscriptions. No extra fees.
$45/ month
Pro Monthly
Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track lab results for multiple clients
- Customize reference ranges per client
- Export lab histories and reports
- Begin with first report entered by us
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
About membership
What's included in a Healthmatters membership
Import Lab Results from Any Source
See Your Health Timeline
Understand What Your Results Mean
Visualize Your Results
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story
Once your results are in one place, see the bigger picture — track trends over time, compare data side by side, export your full history, and share securely with anyone you trust.
Bring all your results together to compare, track progress, export your history, and share securely.
What Healthmatters Members Are Saying
We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.