Low Potassium Symptoms (Hypokalemia); What are Potassium Deficiency Symptoms?

7) Abdominal Distention

This is a common symptom in patients with hypokalemia and gastrointestinal manifestations. As mentioned above, the problem with these patients is that the smooth muscle in the gut does not move as usual. The intestinal contents become stagnant, nutrient absorption is compromised, and gastrointestinal problems become pretty common.

Why is abdominal distension a common symptom in these patients? It is basically because the stagnant contents of the large bowel meet the gut microbiota and get fermented. Instead of absorbing the nutrients, our gut microbiota takes them and creates intestinal gas as a part of their metabolism. Thus, the degree of abdominal distention depends on gut microbiota variability between patients.