A number of things can cause an electrolyte imbalance, including:. Serious emergencies from electrolyte imbalances are rare. Symptoms of electrolyte imbalance vary depending on which electrolytes are most affected. Common symptoms include:. Treatment options normally include either increasing or decreasing fluid intake.

Mineral supplements may be given by mouth or intravenously if depleted. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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What is an Electrolyte Imbalance and How Can You Prevent It? Medically reviewed by Natalie Olsen, R. Electrolytes Imbalance Prevention Symptoms Call Treatment.

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It is possible to have more than one type of electrolyte that is outside the normal range. Electrolyte imbalances are particularly common in elderly people and in people who are critically ill. One of the most common electrolyte imbalances is hyponatremia , low levels of sodium in the blood.

Hyponatremia can occur when there is a decrease in the amount of blood circulating in your body. This can happen with conditions such as:. Hyponatremia can also be caused by high levels of antidiuretic hormone, a hormone that helps regulate the water in your body.

Other conditions that can cause hyponatremia include:. It is also possible to have elevated sodium levels. This is called hypernatremia. Hypernatremia is often caused by excess fluid loss, which can happen when:. Hypocalcemia is when you have low levels of calcium in your blood.

Hypocalcemia is often associated with hypoparathyroidism , a condition that can occur after you have your thyroid gland removed. Your thyroid gland is close to your parathyroid glands, which makes them vulnerable to damage during this procedure. Hypoparathyroidism can also be caused by certain autoimmune conditions or a genetic disease.

Hypocalcemia can also be related to other conditions such as:. Medications can also cause hypocalcemia:. High levels of calcium, called hypercalcemia , can happen with conditions such as:. Certain medications can also cause hypercalcemia:. Low potassium is called hypokalemia.

It can happen when medical conditions or medication use cause fluid loss from the gastrointestinal system or urinary tract.

For example:. Hyperkalemia —when you have too much potassium in your blood—is related to a number of different conditions, including:. Hyperkalemia can also happen when you take certain medications, such as:. Hypomagnesemia refers to reduced levels of magnesium in the blood. It usually occurs when you've lost too many fluids through vomiting or diarrhea or when you are losing too much magnesium in your urine.

Some of the things that can cause hypomagnesemia include:. Certain medications may also cause hypomagnesemia:. Hypermagnesemia is when you have too much magnesium in your blood.

Hypermagnesemia is common in people with chronic kidney disease and people who are hospitalized with kidney injury. Certain medical conditions can also cause hypermagnesemia, such as:. People who take too much magnesium as a dietary supplement are also at risk for hypermagnesemia.

Hypochloremia too little chloride in the blood can also happen when you lose too many fluids through your gastrointestinal system or your urinary tract.

Some of the things that can cause this include:. Certain medications like diuretics can also cause hypochloremia. Hyperchloremia too much chloride can happen when you lose more fluid than chloride. It can be related to:. Hypophosphatemia low phosphate can have a number of causes, including:. Hyperphosphatemia high phosphate can be caused by:.

Symptoms vary based on the specific electrolytes involved, as well as the severity of the imbalance. Some potential symptoms could include:. If severe, electrolyte imbalances can cause very serious problems, such as:.

However, electrolyte imbalances might not cause any noticeable symptoms at all. This is especially likely to be the case if the imbalance is mild or if the imbalance has been coming on gradually.

Electrolyte imbalances also increase the risk of complications and death in people who already have serious medical conditions. Diagnosis of an electrolyte imbalance can be performed with a simple blood test. Electrolytes are usually tested as a group, along with other key laboratory values.

For example, you might have many of your electrolytes tested during a series of blood tests called a basic metabolic panel or as a part of a more complete set of tests called a comprehensive metabolic panel. These tests can tell you whether you have an imbalance in a specific electrolyte.

Sometimes the reasons might be obvious. In other situations, your healthcare provider may need to order additional blood tests, medical imaging, or other diagnostic tests to find the cause of your electolyte imbalance.

For example, weakness is a potential symptom of certain electrolyte imbalances. Sometimes electrolytes are tested as part of monitoring for people who have certain medical conditions that could alter electrolytes. These might include illnesses affecting organs like:.

Your electrolytes may need to be regularly tested if you are taking a medication that can change your electrolyte levels, like a diuretic.

Electrolyte levels are usually tested together since this can help your healthcare provider find the underlying cause of an imbalance. When paired together, certain electrolyte imbalances may signal problems in parts of the body. Additionally, problems with certain electrolytes may cause problems with other electrolytes.

For example, a low magnesium level might be the underlying cause of a low calcium level. If you have a serious electrolyte imbalance, you may need other kinds of monitoring. For example, you may need an electrocardiogram ECG to check for heart rhythm problems.

Electrolytes are found naturally in many foods and drinks. Sports drinks can help replenish lost electrolytes in certain situations, like after intense exercise. Most people get enough electrolytes from the foods they eat, but sometimes other interventions are needed to correct an imbalance.

Treatment of an electrolyte imbalance will depend on the underlying medical problem. Often, the electrolyte problem will resolve after the underlying health condition is treated.

In someone with a relatively mild imbalance, this might be the only intervention needed. For example, you might have an electrolyte imbalance because of untreated type 1 diabetes. In this case, getting treatment with insulin and other therapies may help correct the imbalance. If you have a problem with hypercalcemia due to an issue with your parathyroid gland, you might need surgery.

You may need to switch to a different medication type. If dehydration is part of the cause, you may need to receive intravenous fluids. On the other hand, if you are over-hydrated, you might need to limit your fluid intake and potentially take diuretics to help get rid of extra fluid via the urine.

Some people may also need to receive additional electrolytes for a limited period. Do you live in a warm climate that results in you sweating?

Do you eat a lot of water-rich fruits or vegetables, or more processed foods? A good rule of thumb is to drink enough so you urinate at least every three to four hours, which for most people is around eight to 10 eight-ounce glasses daily.

If not, you risk developing dehydration symptoms, kidney stones, bladder infections, urinary tract stones and potentially even heart failure. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding also need additional fluids about 10—13 cups every day to stay hydrated and prevented deficiencies, as do teenagers who are growing and developing faster than people of other ages.

Your kidneys are unable to excrete very high levels of excess water, so this can mean electrolytes within the blood can become diluted. Antibiotics, diuretics, hormonal pills, blood pressure medications and cancer treatments can all impact electrolyte levels.

The most serious forms of electrolyte imbalances are usually seem in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Their symptoms can be very serious when not properly managed and include high blood calcium levels or other imbalances that develop when cancer cells die off. Laxatives or diuretics also change potassium and sodium levels within the blood and urine.

This results in anxiety, fast heartbeats, digestive issues and trouble sleeping. Even high levels of physiological stress can impact hormones to the point that fluid and electrolyte levels become thrown out of balance.

Fluids and electrolytes usually in the form of extra sodium are commonly consumed by athletes during or after training. Replenishing electrolytes has been a well-known recommendation for years and is why sports drinks and enhanced waters are popular among people who are very active.

You need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss of being active, about 1. Without enough water present in your body, dehydration and deficits can cause cardiovascular complications changes to heartbeats , muscle cramping, fatigue, dizziness and confusion.

Not only does this hurt your overall aerobic performance, but it can cause you to pass out or in rare circumstances even experience serious issues like a heart attack. If you notice yourself feeling dizzy or heavily cramping up, try drinking lots of fluids immediately and consuming electrolytes until you feel better.

Due to high stress levels, genetic factors or existing medical conditions, some people can be chronically deficient in some electrolytes. Magnesium and potassium are two electrolytes that many people are low in.

Potassium and magnesium are usually present in multivitamins — just be sure you take a high-quality, food-based vitamin in order to properly absorb these electrolytes and not any supplements that are toxic and full of junk. Popular Posts All Time This Week {position} Detox Your Liver: A 6-Step Liver Cleanse.

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A normal range is 0. Hypermagnesemia, or abnormally high levels of magnesium in the blood, is relatively rare in individuals with normal kidney function.

Hypermagnesemia typically occurs in individuals with abnormal kidney function. This imbalance can also occur with use of antacids or laxatives that contain magnesium.

Most cases of hypermagnesemia can be prevented by avoiding magnesium-containing medications. Mild symptoms include nausea, flushing, tiredness.

Neurologic symptoms are seen most commonly including decreased deep tendon reflexes. Severe symptoms include paralysis, respiratory failure, and bradycardia progressing to cardiac arrest.

If kidney function is normal, stopping the source of magnesium intake is sufficient. Diuretics can help increase magnesium excretion in the urine. Severe symptoms may be treated with dialysis to directly remove magnesium from the blood. Major causes of hypomagnesemia are from gastrointestinal losses such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Another major cause is from kidney losses from diuretics, alcohol use, hypercalcemia, and genetic disorders. Low dietary intake can also contribute to magnesium deficiency. Hypomagnesemia is typically associated with other electrolyte abnormalities, such as hypokalemia and hypocalcemia.

For this reason, there may be overlap in symptoms seen in these other electrolyte deficiencies. Severe symptoms include arrhythmias, seizures, and tetany. The first step in treatment is determining whether the deficiency is caused by a gastrointestinal or kidney problem. People with no or minimal symptoms are given oral magnesium; however, many people experience diarrhea and other gastrointestinal discomfort.

Those who cannot tolerate or receive magnesium, or those with severe symptoms can receive intravenous magnesium. Hypomagnesemia may prevent the normalization of other electrolyte deficiencies. If other electrolyte deficiencies are associated, normalizing magnesium levels may be necessary to treat the other deficiencies.

Potassium resides mainly inside the cells of the body, so its concentration in the blood can range anywhere from 3.

Hyperkalemia means the concentration of potassium in the blood is too high. Hyperkalemia is typically caused by decreased excretion by the kidneys, shift of potassium to the extracellular space, or increased consumption of potassium rich foods in patients with kidney failure.

Part of the danger of hyperkalemia is that it is often asymptomatic, and only detected during normal lab work done by primary care physicians.

There are three mainstays of treatment of hyperkalemia. These are stabilization of cardiac cells , shift of potassium into the cells, and removal of potassium from the body.

Low potassium is caused by increased excretion of potassium, decreased consumption of potassium rich foods, movement of potassium into the cells, or certain endocrine diseases. Low potassium can also cause cardiac arrythmias.

Hypokalemia is treated by replacing the body's potassium. This can occur either orally or intravenously. Sodium is the most abundant electrolyte in the blood. The total body water can be divided into two compartments called extracellular fluid ECF and intracellular fluid ICF.

The majority of the sodium in the body stays in the extracellular fluid compartment. Sodium acts as a force that pulls water across membranes, and water moves from places with lower sodium concentration to places with higher sodium concentration.

This happens through a process called osmosis. Hypernatremia means that the concentration of sodium in the blood is too high. Hypernatremia is not common in individuals with no other health concerns. There are three types of hypernatremia each with different causes. This is most commonly caused by heatstroke, burns, extreme sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea.

This can be caused by diabetes insipidus , renal disease, hypothalamic dysfunction , sickle cell disease , and certain drugs. Symptoms of hypernatremia may vary depending on type and how quickly the electrolyte disturbance developed. Patients may be on medications that caused the imbalance such as diuretics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

It is crucial to first assess the stability of the patient. If there are any signs of shock such as tachycardia or hypotension , these must be treated immediately with IV saline infusion.

Lowering the sodium level too quickly can cause cerebral edema. Hyponatremia means that the concentration of sodium in the blood is too low. Hyponatremia has many causes including heart failure , chronic kidney disease , liver disease , treatment with thiazide diuretics, psychogenic polydipsia , and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion.

Many individuals with mild hyponatremia will not experience symptoms. Severity of symptoms is directly correlated with severity of hyponatremia and rapidness of onset. Considerations for treatment include symptom severity, time to onset, volume status, underlying cause, and sodium levels.

Diet significantly contributes to electrolyte stores and blood levels. Below are a list of foods that are associated with higher levels of these electrolytes. It is recommended that an individual consumes less than 2, mg of sodium daily as part of a healthy diet. In minerals, phosphorus generally occurs as phosphate.

Good sources of phosphorus includes baking powder , instant pudding , cottonseed meal , hemp seeds, fortified beverages, dried whey. More than half of the weight of our body is made up of water, which is mostly present in the form of blood or fluid in and around cells fluid compartments.

Our kidney , along with other organs and tissues, continuously works to adjust the fluid level within our fluid compartments by pushing the electrolytes in and out of the cells.

In addition to kidney disease , lung disease, and heart disorders can also contribute to an imbalance in the level of minerals in the body. Burns and certain medications like diuretics that help the body get rid of salt and water also cause electrolyte imbalance.

One good way to identify the electrolyte that is imbalanced and the cause of your electrolyte imbalance, is to see a medical doctor. Your doctor will do some tests to identify the cause of your electrolyte imbalance. The best way to cope with electrolyte imbalance is to treat its cause.

For example, if kidney disease is the cause of your electrolyte imbalance symptoms, see a nephrologist who may treat your kidney disease andcorrect electrolyte imbalance through hemodialysis.

Another good way to cope with electrolyte imbalance is to replenish your electrolyte. Maintaining a balance of certain minerals in your body is relatively easy. Updated visitor policies. Other Michigan Medicine Sites About Michigan Medicine UofMHealth.

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