10 Side Effects of Low Potassium
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
Low Potassium Side Effect #9: Breathing Difficulties
When the muscles controlling our lungs contract, they squeeze the lungs, forcing out the air that was in them. When the muscles pull the lungs open, they cause air to be sucked into the lungs, and the oxygen in that air can then be processed. This is a cycle that we know as breathing, and it is essential to our survival.
Potassium helps to send messages that cause our lungs to expand and contract, allowing us to breathe. If we don’t have enough potassium then these messages can become weak or absent, meaning we have difficulty breathing. Severe cases can result in fatality so it should be taken very seriously.
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