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Potassium is an electrolyte (a mineral) that your body needs to function properly. Potassium is essential for your nerves, muscles, and heart. While potassium is important for good health, too much of it can be just as bad as not getting enough. Usually, your kidneys maintain a healthy potassium balance by excreting excess potassium from your body. However, the amount of potassium in your blood can become abnormally high for a variety of reasons. Hyperkalemia, or a high potassium level, is the medical term for this. Potassium levels in the blood should be between 3.6 and 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Potassium levels greater than 5.5 mmol/L are considered critically high and levels greater than 6 mmol/L can be fatal. To avoid complications, whether you have mild or severe hyperkalemia, you should get medical help as soon as possible.