DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 76-year-old male with several health problems. I have had type II diabetes for 40 years. I keep good control with no known damage from it. I also have well-controlled (with medication) high blood pressure. I am now having a problem with a high potassium level. It went from 4.9 to over 6.5 in one year. I have included a copy of my blood work.
Do you have any suggestions?
DEAR READER: Thank you for including your lab results because they tell the story. Your kidneys do not appear to be functioning properly. As a result, they are not excreting as much potassium as they should. Your blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is quite high at 60. It should be below 20. Finally creatinine is also high (2.1). It should be under 1.0.
[Read more...]