What condition can severe hypokalemia lead to?

Severe hypokalemia, which is a significant deficiency of potassium in the blood, can lead to cardiac arrhythmias due to the critical role that potassium plays in maintaining normal heart function. Potassium is essential for the proper electrical activity of heart cells, and low levels can disrupt this electrical signaling. This disruption can lead to various types of arrhythmias, including tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and bradycardia (slow heart rate), and can also increase the risk of more serious conditions such as ventricular fibrillation, which can be life-threatening.

While hypertension, dehydration, and kidney stones are associated with various electrolyte imbalances or health conditions, they are not direct outcomes of severe hypokalemia in the same way that cardiac arrhythmias are. The heart's dependency on adequate potassium levels highlights why this is the most critical condition that can arise from such a deficiency.