Electrolyte Family
Now we turn to another family: the electrolytes. What's an electrolyte? To understand, it helps to think of your muscles as power tools and your nerves as electrical cords. Electrolytes are the electricity—minerals in your blood that carry an electrical charge. They allow your nerves to power up your muscles. Without the right amount of electrolytes, you could have a short circuit.
One job of healthy kidneys is to keep electrolytes in balance in your body. When the kidneys fail, it's vital to check the level of electrolytes in your blood. If they are out of balance, big problems can occur.
Four electrolyte tests are most important for people with kidney disease to know:
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Sodium
Hyper and Hypo
Some medical terms are hard to remember. Others are easier because they relate to things that you have probably heard of before. Luckily, hyper and hypo are some of the easy ones.
Hyper means above, or more than the usual level. You may have heard of hypertension (high blood pressure) or hyperactive (higher than the usual activity level).
Hypo means below, or less than the usual level. You may have heard of hypodermic (below the skin), or hypothermia (below normal body temperature).
