Library/Electrolytes/Potassium/5.9

Potassium of 5.9 mmol/LWhat it means, and what usually happens next

5.9mmol/L Potassium
Mildly high
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A potassium of 5.9 mmol/L is in the 5.5 to 5.9 mmol/L range usually called mildly high.

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Potassium5.9mmol/L
Where it fallsMildly high
The usual rangeabout 3.5 to 5.0 mmol/L (some labs go to 5.1 or 5.3)

What usually happens next

It's normally repeated within a day or two, as a burst sample is still the most common reason.

If it's real, kidney function and medicines (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, spironolactone, NSAIDs, potassium supplements or salt substitutes) are the first things looked at.

What a high potassium usually means, and its common causes

When a potassium can read wrong

Potassium is the result most often thrown off by the sample. Cells that burst in the tube, a tight tourniquet, clenching your fist, a long wait before the sample is spun, or a very high platelet or white cell count can all make it read high when your blood isn't.

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Questions

Is a potassium of 5.9 mmol/L normal?

A potassium of 5.9 mmol/L is in the 5.5 to 5.9 mmol/L range usually called mildly high. The usual range is about 3.5 to 5.0 mmol/L (some labs go to 5.1 or 5.3).

Is a potassium of 5.9 mmol/L dangerous?

Between 3.5 and 5.0 mmol/L is the usual range. Just above 5.0 is most often a sample that burst in the tube; 6.0 and over, or under 3.0, is a same-day call to your doctor.

Can bananas raise potassium to 5.9 mmol/L?

Not in people with healthy kidneys, which clear the extra quickly. With reduced kidney function, or on medicines that hold potassium, diet matters more.

Worked out by LifeFrom from the European Resuscitation Council's bands and the usual lab range, and not yet reviewed by a clinician. For your own understanding: only a lab test, read by your clinician, diagnoses anything.