Electrolyte disturbance

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Electrolyte disturbance

Electrolyte

An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrical conductor medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
s play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis

Homeostasis

Homeostasis is the property of a system, either open system or closed system, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition....
within the body. They help to regulate myocardial and neurological function, fluid balance, oxygen delivery, acid-base balance and much more. Electrolyte imbalances can develop by the following mechanisms: excessive ingestion; diminished elimination of an electrolyte; diminished ingestion or excessive elimination of an electrolyte. The most common cause of electrolyte disturbances is renal failure

Renal failure

Renal failure or kidney failure is a situation in which the kidneys fail to function adequately. It is divided in acute and chronic forms; either form may be due to a large number of other medical problems....
.

The most serious electrolyte disturbances involve abnormalities in the levels of sodium

Sodium

Sodium is an element which has the symbol Na , atomic number 11, atomic mass 23 amu , and a common oxidation number +1. Sodium is a soft, silvery white, highly reactive element and is a member of the alkali metals within "group 1" ....
, potassium

Potassium

Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....
, and/or calcium

Calcium

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Encyclopedia

Electrolyte

Homeostasis

Renal failure

Sodium

Potassium

Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....
, and/or calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
. Other electrolyte imbalances are less common, and often occur in conjunction with major electrolyte changes. Chronic laxative

Laxative

Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the Colon for rectum and bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas in that circumstance....
abuse or severe diarrhea

Diarrhea

In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea , is characterized by frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. The spelling of "diarrhea" is an appropriation of the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." ....
or vomiting

Vomiting

Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Undesired vomiting may result from many causes, ranging from gastritis or poisoning to brain tumors, or elevated intracranial pressure....
can lead to electrolyte disturbances along with dehydration

Dehydration

Dehydration is the removal of water from an object. In Physiology terms, it entails a relative deficiency of water molecules in relation to other dissolved solutes....
. People suffering from bulimia or anorexia are at especially high risk for an electrolyte imbalance.

Nomenclature

There is a standard nomenclature

Scientific classification

Biological classification or scientific classification in biology, is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms....
for electrolyte disorders:

The name starts with a prefix denoting whether the electrolyte is abnormally elevated ("hyper-") or depleted ("hypo-").
The word stem then gives the name of the electrolyte in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
. If no Latin equivalent exists, then the corresponding term in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
is used.
The name ends with the suffix
Affix

An affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivation , like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past tense -ed....
"-emia," meaning "in the blood
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
." (Note, this doesn't mean that the disturbance is only in the blood; usually, electrolyte disturbance is systemic. However, since the disturbance is usually detected from blood test
Blood test

A blood test is a medical laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a hypodermic needle, or via fingerprick....
ing, the convention has developed.)

For instance, elevated potassium in the blood is called "hyperkalemia" from the Latin term for potassium, "kalium".

Table of common electrolyte disturbances

Electrolyte	Ionic formula	Elevation disorder	Depletion disorder
Sodium Sodium Sodium is an element which has the symbol Na , atomic number 11, atomic mass 23 amu , and a common oxidation number +1. Sodium is a soft, silvery white, highly reactive element and is a member of the alkali metals within "group 1" ....	Na⁺	hypernatremia Hypernatremia Hypernatremia or hypernatraemia is an electrolyte disturbance that is defined by an elevated sodium level in the blood. Hypernatremia is generally not caused by an excess of sodium, but rather by a relative deficit of water in the body....	hyponatremia Hyponatremia Hyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which the sodium concentration in the blood plasma is too low .Severe or rapidly progressing hyponatremia can result in swelling of the brain , and the symptoms of hyponatremia are mainly neurology....
Potassium Potassium Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....	K⁺	hyperkalemia Hyperkalemia Hyperkalemia Hyperkalaemia is an elevated blood level of the electrolyte potassium. The prefix hyper- means high . The middle kal refers to kalium, which is neo-Latin for potassium....	hypokalemia Hypokalemia Hypokalemia refers to the condition in which the concentration of potassium in the blood is low. The prefix hypo- means low . Kal refers to kalium, the Neo-Latin for potassium, and -emia means "in the blood."...
Calcium Calcium Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....	Ca²⁺	hypercalcemia	hypocalcemia
Magnesium Magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....	Mg²⁺	hypermagnesemia Hypermagnesemia Hypermagnesemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally elevated level of magnesium in the blood. Usually this results in excess of magnesium in the body....	hypomagnesemia Hypomagnesemia Hypomagnesemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of magnesium in the blood. Usually a serum level less than 0.7 mmol/l is used as reference....
Chloride Chloride The chloride ion is formed when the chemical element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−....	Cl^-	hyperchloremia Hyperchloremia Hyperchloremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally elevated level of the chloride ion in the blood. The normal serum range for chloride is 97 to 107 equivalent ....	hypochloremia Hypochloremia Hypochloremia is an electrolyte disturbance whereby there is an abnormally depleted level of the chloride ion in the blood. It rarely occurs in the absence of other abnormalities....
Phosphate Phosphate A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a Salt of phosphoric acid. Inorganic phosphates are mining to obtain phosphorus for use in agriculture and industry....	PO₄^3-	hyperphosphatemia Hyperphosphatemia Hyperphosphatemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally elevated level of phosphate in the blood. Often, calcium in biology levels are lowered due to precipitation of phosphate with the calcium in tissues....	hypophosphatemia Hypophosphatemia Hypophosphatemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of phosphate in the blood. The condition has many causes, but is most commonly seen when malnourished patients are given large amounts of carbohydrates, which creates a high phosphorus demand by cells, removing phosphate from the blood ....
Bicarbonate Bicarbonate In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid. Its chemical formula is HCO3−....	HCO₃^-	hyperbicarbonatemia Hyperbicarbonatemia Hyperbicarbonatemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally elevated level of bicarbonate in the blood.This is associated with alkalosis, hypercapnia....	hypobicarbonatemia Hypobicarbonatemia Hypobicarbonatemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally depleted level of bicarbonate in the blood.The case of hypobicarbonatemia is extremely rare, with only one documented case of it due to massive saline infusion....

General Function

Electrolytes are important because they are what cells (especially nerve, heart, muscle) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes and to carry electrical impulses (nerve impulses, muscle contractions) across themselves and to other cells. Kidneys work to keep the electrolyte concentrations in blood constant despite changes in your body. For example, during heavy exercise, electrolytes are lost in sweat, particularly sodium and potassium. These electrolytes must be replaced to keep the electrolyte concentrations of the body fluids constant.

Electrolyte abnormalities and ECG
Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram is a recording of the electricity activity of the heart over time produced by an electrocardiograph, usually in a Non-invasive recording via skin electrodes....
changes

The most notable feature of hyperkalemia is the "tent shaped" or "peaked" T wave. Delayed ventricular depolarization leads to a widened QRS complex and the P wave becomes wider and flatter. When hyperkalemia becomes severe, the ECG resembles a sine wave as the P wave disappears from view. In contrast, hypokalemia is associated with flattening of the T wave and the appearance of a U wave. When untreated, hypokalemia may lead to severe arrhythmias.

The fast ventricular depolarization and repolarization associated with hypercalcemia lead to a characteristic shortening of the QT interval. Hypocalcemia has the opposite effect, lengthening the QT interval.

Electrolyte disturbance

Nomenclature

Table of common electrolyte disturbances

General Function

Electrolyte abnormalities and ECGElectrocardiogramAn electrocardiogram is a recording of the electricity activity of the heart over time produced by an electrocardiograph, usually in a Non-invasive recording via skin electrodes.... changes

See also

Electrolyte abnormalities and ECG
Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram is a recording of the electricity activity of the heart over time produced by an electrocardiograph, usually in a Non-invasive recording via skin electrodes....
changes