electrolytes
8 articles in this field-note collection.
Potassium blood test: normal levels, causes, next steps
Potassium keeps your heart and muscles firing. Here's the normal range, the lowest-risk zone, the usual causes of low and high results, and when it's urgent.
Sodium blood test: normal range, low and high causes
Blood sodium mostly tracks water. Here's the normal range, what optimizers aim for, the common causes of low and high sodium, and when it's urgent.
Urine chloride test: normal range, low and high results
Urine chloride shows how much chloride your kidneys let go. The normal range, what under 20 mmol/L means in metabolic alkalosis, and the urine anion gap.
Magnesium blood test: normal range, low and high causes
Magnesium keeps your nerves, muscles and heart working. Here's the normal range, why it runs low, how to read it with potassium and calcium, and when it's urgent.
Chloride blood test: normal range, low and high causes
Chloride is sodium's salt partner. Here's the normal range, what low or high chloride usually means, how to read it with sodium and CO2, and when to act.
Calcium blood test: normal range, high and low causes
Blood calcium is tightly controlled. Here's the normal range, the usual reasons it runs high or low, how to read it with PTH and albumin, and when it's urgent.
CO2 blood test (bicarbonate): normal range, low and high
The CO2 on your metabolic panel is bicarbonate. Here's the normal range, what low or high usually means, how to read it with chloride, and when it's urgent.
Anion gap blood test: normal range, high and low causes
The anion gap is a quick math check on your electrolytes. What's normal, why it runs high or low, how to read it with bicarbonate and albumin, and when to act.