Symptoms of hyperkalemia may include which sensation?

• A. Chest pain
• B. Numbness and tingling
• C. Headache
• D. Nausea

Answer: (B)

Hyperkalemia alters nerve and muscle excitability, so elevated potassium outside cells changes how nerves conduct signals. This often produces sensory disturbances, especially numbness or tingling, known as paresthesias. That sensory change is the best fit for hyperkalemia’s typical effects. Chest pain can occur if the heart is affected by high potassium, but it isn’t a direct sensory sign of potassium elevation. Headache and nausea are nonspecific and not characteristic sensory manifestations of hyperkalemia. In more severe cases, weakness and dangerous heart rhythms may develop, but numbness and tingling specifically reflect the sensory changes linked to high potassium.