There are many different reasons you could have low potassium levels. It may be because too much potassium is leaving through your digestive tract. It’s usually a symptom of another problem. Most commonly, you get hypokalemia when:
• You vomit a lot
• You have diarrhea
• Your kidneys or adrenal glands don’t work well
• You take medication that makes you pee (water pills or diuretics)
It’s possible, but rare, to get hypokalemia from having too little potassium in your diet. Other things sometimes cause it, too, like:
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Sweating a lot
• Folic acid deficiency
• Certain antibiotics
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (high levels of acids called ketones in your blood)
• Laxatives taken over a long period of time
• Certain types of tobacco
• Some asthma medications
• Low magnesium
Several syndromes can be associated with low potassium, such as:
• Cushing's syndrome
• Gitelman syndrome
• Liddle syndrome
• Bartter syndrome
• Fanconi syndrome
Women tend to get hypokalemia more often than men.
Courtesy: WebMD
