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Aloe vera latex has strong laxative effects, which may cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, hypokalemia (low potassium), other electrolyte imbalances, and kidney damage.—Elizabeth Barnes, Verywell Health, 10 Sep. 2024 Low potassium levels, or hypokalemia, can damage muscles to the point of possible paralysis, cause difficulty breathing from weakened respiratory muscles and prevent kidneys from doing their job.—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 This can lead to a drop in potassium levels in the blood (hypokalemia) and sometimes a condition called metabolic acidosis, where the body produces too much acid or the kidneys aren't removing enough acid from the body.—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The extreme drop in potassium levels (hypokalemia) throws off the ionic balance critical to the cardiac conduction system—which is a specialized group of heart muscle cells that use electrical signals to make the heart muscles contract and pump blood around.—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 25 Sep. 2020 Low potassium levels can lead to hypokalemia, which can cause muscle weakness, spasms, cramps, tingling, numbness and, in severe cases, paralysis.—Laura Landro, WSJ, 13 Nov. 2022
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from hypo- + kalium potassium (from kali alkali, from Arabic qily saltwort) + -emia
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