Potassium homeostasis in chronic kidney disease.

Adaptive increases in renal and gastrointestinal excretion of K+ help to prevent hyperkalemia in patients with CKD as long as the GFR remains > 15-20 mL/min. Once the GFR falls below these values, the impact of factors known to adversely affect K+ homeostasis is significantly magnified. Impaired renal K+ excretion can be the result of conditions that severely limit distal Na+ delivery, decreased mineralocorticoid levels or activity, or a distal tubular defect (Table 2). In clinical practice, hyperkalemia is usually the result of a combination of factors superimposed on renal dysfunction.