Sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) are electrolytes that affect most metabolic functions. They serve to maintain osmotic pressure and hydration of various body fluid compartments, body pH and regulation of heart and muscle functions. Electrolytes are also involved in oxidation-reduction reactions and participate in essential enzymatic reactions. Electrolytes can be affected by state of hydration. Hemolysis can result in falsely elevated K+.

Potassium is an essential mineral and electrolyte crucial for maintaining cellular function, nerve signaling, muscle contractions, and fluid balance. In a hair mineral analysis, potassium levels provide insight into adrenal activity, metabolic health, and overall electrolyte balance. Unlike serum potassium, hair potassium reflects longer-term trends in mineral retention and utilization.

Erythrocyte potassium levels uniquely reveal your total body potassium status. Potassium is an abundant mineral that helps keep normal water balance between the cells and body fluids. Muscle contractions, nerve impulses and blood pressure rely on availability of potassium.

Potassium is a primary intra-cellular element required for fluid balance, nerve activity and muscle activity.

The Potassium - Arterial marker on Labcorp's Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Panel measures the concentration of potassium ions (K+) in the arterial blood. Potassium is a critical electrolyte that plays a key role in maintaining cell function, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. It is also essential in regulating the body's acid-base balance and controlling the electrical activity of the heart. Abnormal potassium levels can indicate a range of conditions: elevated levels (hyperkalemia) may suggest kidney dysfunction, acidosis, or cellular injury, while low levels (hypokalemia) can occur due to conditions like excessive diuretic use, alkalosis, or gastrointestinal losses (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea). Monitoring arterial potassium levels is crucial for assessing overall electrolyte balance, cardiac health, and metabolic function.

Potassium (Plasma) is a vital electrolyte that helps regulate nerve signals, muscle contractions (including the heart), and fluid balance in the body. It plays a key role in maintaining healthy blood pressure and overall cellular function.

Normal Range:

3.4 – 4.8 mmol/L

What Do Abnormal Levels Mean?

• Low potassium (hypokalemia) can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, cramps, irregular heartbeat, and, in severe cases, life-threatening complications. It may result from fluid loss (vomiting, diarrhea), certain medications (like diuretics), or underlying health conditions.

• High potassium (hyperkalemia) may cause muscle weakness, numbness, or dangerous heart rhythm disturbances. It’s often linked to kidney issues, medications that affect potassium balance, or excessive potassium supplementation.

Since potassium levels are tightly regulated by the kidneys, even small imbalances can be clinically significant. If your potassium level falls outside the normal range, follow up with your healthcare provider to determine the cause and next steps.

Potassium is a vital mineral and electrolyte in the body, playing key roles in several critical body functions, such as regulating heartbeat, muscle function, and nerve signaling. In the context of medical testing the measurement of potassium in a random urine sample is significant. This test does not require any special preparation such as fasting and can be performed at any time, making it a convenient option for patients. In this panel, potassium levels are often analyzed alongside creatinine, a byproduct of muscle metabolism, to evaluate the potassium excretion relative to creatinine excretion. This ratio can help assess kidney function and the balance of electrolytes. High levels of potassium in the urine might indicate conditions like hyperaldosteronism (where the adrenal gland releases too much hormone), whereas low levels could suggest issues such as acute or chronic kidney disease, or excessive use of diuretics. The combined measurement with creatinine helps to adjust for variations in urine concentration, providing a more accurate picture of the body’s potassium release and retention, crucial for diagnosing and managing potential health concerns effectively.

Potassium, RBC (Red Blood Cell Potassium) measures the concentration of potassium inside your red blood cells, rather than in your blood plasma. While standard potassium tests assess levels in the fluid portion of the blood, this test gives insight into longer-term intracellular potassium status—which is where the majority of your body's potassium is actually stored.

What is potassium?

Potassium (K+) helps nerves and muscles communicate. It also helps move nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells.

Potassium, an essential nutrient found throughout the body, is necessary for healthy cell activity. 

Potassium is also important in how nerves and muscles work.

Potassium is an electrolyte. Electrolytes become ions when they’re in a solution, and they conduct electricity. Our cells and organs require electrolytes to function normally.

Potassium is also considered a mineral. It helps keep the water (the amount of fluid inside and outside the body's cells) and electrolyte balance of the body. 

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.

The "Potassium/Creatinine Ratio" marker is a crucial diagnostic tool used to evaluate the balance of potassium in your urine relative to creatinine. Potassium, an essential mineral, is vital for proper cell function, including maintaining normal heart function and regulating fluid balance. Creatinine, a waste product generated from muscle metabolism, is typically used as a reference marker because its excretion rate in urine is relatively stable. The ratio between potassium and creatinine helps to normalize potassium levels against urine concentration variations, providing a more accurate assessment of potassium excretion from the body. This measurement is particularly important in diagnosing and monitoring conditions related to electrolyte imbalance, kidney function, and certain hormonal disorders. It helps doctors understand how well the kidneys are processing potassium and whether there might be excessive loss or retention of potassium, which can have significant health implications. Thus, this test is a vital part of understanding overall kidney health and managing conditions that affect electrolyte balance.

The presence of antibodies to Potato is an indication of food immune reactivity. The offending food and its known cross-reactive foods should be eliminated from the diet. Adverse reactions to Potato have been reported. Immune reactivity to Potato is rare and occurs more often in children, who usually out-grow it, than in adults.

The prealbumin screen is a blood test that may be used to see if you are getting enough nutrition in your diet. This may be because you have a chronic condition. Or it may be because you have an infection or inflammation, or you suffered a trauma. 

Prealbumin is a protein that is made mainly by your liver. Your body uses it to make other proteins. Prealbumin also carries thyroid hormones in the blood