10 Causes of Muscle Cramps
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
Cause #5: Hypokalemia
Hypokalemia occurs when the serum potassium level is low. Although mild cases do not usually cause any issues, more severe cases can cause constipation, tiredness, muscle cramps, muscle spasms, and weakness. It can also slow the heart rate resulting in a cardiac arrest.
Causes of hypokalemia include diarrhea, vomiting, use of medications such as furosemide, dialysis, hypomagnesemia, and inadequate intake from the diet. Hypokalemia can be defined as having serum potassium levels of less than 3.5 mmol/l. Severe hypokalemia is defined as serum potassium levels of less than 2.5 mmol/l.
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