Potassium has an indispensable and important effect on the human body, which is mainly manifested in the following aspects:
1. Maintain the body's acid-base balance and participate in the metabolism of sugar and protein.
2. Regulating the blood pressure of the human body, the regulation mechanism is more complicated.
mainly includes:
(1) Directly promote the excretion of sodium, remove sodium to preserve potassium, and help lower blood pressure.
(2) Inhibit the effects of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and sympathetic nervous system.
(3) Improve the sensitivity of the carotid sinus-aortic arch reflex, making the blood pressure adjustment more efficient and effective.
(4) Reducing the resistance of peripheral blood vessels is also one of the important ways to lower blood pressure.
3. Regulate the osmotic pressure inside and outside the cell to maintain the integrity of the cell.
If the potassium content is too low, the osmotic pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cell will gradually increase, eventually leading to the collapse of the cell.
The daily intake of potassium for children is 1600 mg for children and 2000 mg for adults. If the serum potassium concentration is lower than 3.5mmol/L, you are suffering from hypokalemia, and you need to supplement potassium at this time.
Under what circumstances do babies need potassium supplementation
1. When the diet is unreasonable, leading to too little potassium intake, or the baby's body's intake of potassium is too low.
2. In summer, when the baby sweats a lot, or has diarrhea, vomiting, or a lot of potassium loss.
3. Consumption of large amounts of sugar will promote the synthesis of glycogen, and the synthesis process of glycogen requires potassium, so potassium supplementation is needed when the sugar intake is too much.
Symptoms of potassium deficiency in infants
1. The effect on muscles
Potassium deficiency will cause the baby's muscle excitability to decrease, which can be manifested as weakness, fatigue, and drowsiness.
2. Impact on the respiratory system
Severe potassium deficiency will bring a series of serious adverse effects to the baby's circulatory system and respiratory system: such as fast heartbeat and irregular heartbeat, weakened breathing, and in severe cases, heart failure, respiratory paralysis and death.
3. Impact on the digestive system
Slow down the speed of gastrointestinal peristalsis, leading to intestinal paralysis. The baby's external manifestation is decreased appetite, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The baby's long-term vomiting and diarrhea will also lead to further loss of potassium, thereby aggravating the condition.
4. Influence on the spirit
Causes dizziness, apathy, dull eyesight, numbness, and distraction.
Causes of potassium deficiency in babies
It is generally believed that there are two main reasons for a baby's potassium deficiency:
1. Acquired nutritional deficiency
It is divided into two situations: excessive discharge and under intake. The former may be caused by the baby's frequent vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating, and long-term gastrointestinal drainage, while the latter may be caused by too little potassium in food or the body's absorption rate of potassium. It can be improved through diet, that is, eating more foods rich in potassium.
2. Congenital genetic type
Congenital hereditary potassium deficiency is mainly caused by genetic factors. At present, there is no effective treatment method, and more use potassium chloride drugs to control the disease.