What are the standard values?
Electrolytes in the blood have various functions and tasks in the circulation and metabolism of the body. In order for these tasks to run properly, the concentration of the electrolytes must be within a certain range. The standard values of the electrolytes are given in the concentration millimol per liter.
One mole is the international base unit of substance quantity. For sodium the standard values are between 135 and 145 mmol/L. The potassium standard values are between 3.8 and 5.2 mmol/L.
The standard values for total calcium should be in the range of 2.2-2.65 mmol/L. Ionized calcium (i.e. the portion of calcium that is free in the blood and not bound to protein) should be about half of the total calcium: 1.15-1.35 mmol/L. The standard values for chloride are between 96 and 110 mmol/L, for phosphate between 0.84 and 1.45 mmol/L. The standard values of the different electrolytes are the same for men and women.
What are the functions of electrolytes in blood?
Potassium is mostly present in the cells and plays an important role in the regulation of the electrical excitability of these cells, for example the heart muscle cells. Shifts in the potassium concentration can result in cardiac arrhythmia. Besides potassium, calcium and chloride are also involved in the excitability of cells.
Calcium regulates the excitability of muscle cells and plays a major role in the formation of bones and also in the regulation of blood clotting. Chloride is usually present in the blood together with sodium as common salt. Chloride influences the excitability of nerve cells; in case of shifts in the acid-base balance, the chloride concentration is usually also shifted.
Sodium is the most important positively charged cation (ion) in the blood. The sodium level is the marker for the body’s water balance and is regulated by thirst (water intake) and urine production (water loss). Disturbances in the water balance and thus in the sodium concentration are mainly manifested by neurological symptoms such as confusion and disorientation. Together with calcium, phosphate helps build bones, is involved in the acid-base balance and many other metabolic processes, and is a component of DNA, among other things.
