Final answer:
Hypokalemia, a low blood potassium level, can be caused by decreased intake due to starvation, vomiting, diarrhea, and alkalosis, as well as redistribution within the body. Severe depletion can lead to symptoms like muscle weakness and heart rate abnormalities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hypokalemia is the medical term for an abnormally low potassium (K) blood level. It can occur due to an absolute reduction of potassium in the body, which might be caused by a decreased intake often associated with starvation, vomiting, diarrhea, or alkalosis. Additionally, hypokalemia can result from a relative reduction of potassium in the blood, which involves the redistribution of potassium within the body. In chronic wasting diseases such as malnutrition, significant K loss can occur through gastrointestinal losses and metabolic alkalosis. Factors like muscle weakness, slow heart rate, and sterility are symptomatic of severe potassium depletion. When considering potassium absorption, K is generally well-absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, with less than 10% eliminated in feces; however, with conditions like diarrhea, K can be substantially lost in fecal matter.