What is "hyperkalemia"

n. (label en medicine) The condition of having an abnormally high concentration of potassium ions in the blood

n. higher than normal levels of potassium in the circulating blood; associated with kidney failure or sometimes with the use of diuretic drugs [ant: hypokalemia]

Hyperkalemia, also spelled hyperkalaemia, is an elevated level of the electrolyte potassium (K) in the blood. The symptoms of elevated potassium are nonspecific, and the condition is usually discovered by a blood test performed for another reason. Extreme hyperkalemia is a medical emergency, due to the risk of potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms ( arrhythmia).

Temporary treatment can reduce the risk of complications, but removal of the excess potassium by stimulating urine production or through dialysis is usually necessary. Hypokalemia refers to the opposite condition, in which the concentration of potassium (K) in the blood is low.

The word is from hyper- high; kalium, potassium; and -emia, "in the blood"