Alkalosis causes hypokalemia due to

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Alkalosis causes hypokalemia due to

Potassium balance in the blood is tightly linked to hydrogen ion handling across cell membranes. In alkalosis, extracellular H+ is low, so hydrogen ions tend to move out of cells to the higher-pH extracellular space to help correct the imbalance. To preserve electroneutrality and maintain intracellular pH, potassium moves into cells in exchange for the departing H+. The net effect is a fall in serum potassium—hypokalemia—driven by a cellular shift rather than a true loss of potassium from the body. Decreased intake, GI loss, or renal loss can cause hypokalemia, but they aren’t caused by the alkalosis itself; the immediate mechanism linking alkalosis to low serum potassium is this intracellular shift of potassium.

Potassium balance in the blood is tightly linked to hydrogen ion handling across cell membranes. In alkalosis, extracellular H+ is low, so hydrogen ions tend to move out of cells to the higher-pH extracellular space to help correct the imbalance. To preserve electroneutrality and maintain intracellular pH, potassium moves into cells in exchange for the departing H+. The net effect is a fall in serum potassium—hypokalemia—driven by a cellular shift rather than a true loss of potassium from the body. Decreased intake, GI loss, or renal loss can cause hypokalemia, but they aren’t caused by the alkalosis itself; the immediate mechanism linking alkalosis to low serum potassium is this intracellular shift of potassium.

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