Laboratory Values: 

Serum Sodium: 
Normal Range: 135 to 145 mmol/L  
Mild-moderate Hyponatremia: 125 to 135 mmol/L, Severe: less than 125 mmol/L
Hypernatremia: Mild-moderate: 145 to 160 mmol/L, Severe: over 160 mmol/L
Serum Potassium:
Normal Range: 3.6 to 5.5 mmol/L 
Hypokalemia: Mild Hypokalemia under 3.6 mmol/L, Moderate: 2.5 mmol/L, Severe : greater
than 2.5 mmol/L
Hyperkalemia: Mild hyperkalemia: 5 to 5.5 mmol/L, Moderate- 5.5 to 6.5, Severe: 6.5 to 7
mmol/L

 Serum chloride: 96 to 106 mEq/L

BUN:
The normal range of urea nitrogen in blood or serum is 5 to 20 mg/dl, or 1.8 to 7.1 mmol urea
per liter.

The normal serum creatinine (sCr)

 0.6 to 1.2 mg/dl, or 53 to 106 μmol/L by the kinetic or enzymatic method, and 0.8 to 1.5 mg/dl, or 70 to
133 μmol/L by the older manual Jaffé reaction. For the adult female, with her generally lower muscle
mass, the normal range is 0.5 to 1.1 mg/dl, or 44 to 97 μmol/L by the enzymatic method.

Serum Calcium: 
Normal Range: 8.8 to 10.7 mg/dl
Hypercalcemia: greater than 10.7 mg/dl , Severe: over 11.5 mg/dl 
Hypocalcemia: less than 8.8 mg/dl
Serum Magnesium: 
Normal Range: 1.46 to 2.68 mg/dl 
Hypomagnesemia: under 1.46 mg/dl
Hypermagenesemia: over 2.68
Bicarbonate:
Normal Range: 23 to 30 mmol/L
It increases or decreases depending on the acid-base status.
Phosphorus:
Normal Range: 3.4 to 4.5 mg/dl 
Hypophosphatemia: less than 2.5 mg/dl
Hyperphosphatemia: greater than 4.5 mg/dl
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Interfering Factors
Hypomagnesemia can lead to hypocalcemia as it interferes with the action of parathormone. 
Administration of intravenous insulin is associated with a spurious decrease in potassium levels
as insulin shifts potassium intracellularly.[13]
Most of the calcium remains bound to proteins, out of which albumin-bound calcium comprises
about 80%. Therefore, a patient with hypoalbuminemia, as seen in liver cirrhosis, the nephrotic
syndrome will demonstrate low calcium levels vs. the actual values.[14]
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Complications
Both hyponatremia and hypernatremia, as well as hypomagnesemia, can lead to neurological
consequences such as seizure disorders. 
Hypokalemia and hyperkalemia, as well as hypocalcemia, are more responsible for arrhythmias. 
Bicarbonate imbalance can lead to metabolic acidosis or alkalosis.
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Patient Safety and Education

A piece of valuable advice to the patients would be to take the medications exactly as prescribed
by the clinicians to avoid electrolyte imbalance as a consequence of not taking the prescribed
dose. 
One should call for immediate medical help when the patient feels weak, has muscle ache, or has
altered consciousness.  
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Clinical Significance
Some of the common causes of electrolyte disorders seen in clinical practices are:
 Hyponatremia: low dietary sodium intake, primary polydipsia, SIADH, congestive heart
failure, hepatic cirrhosis, failure of adrenal glands, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia
 Hypernatremia: unreplaced fluid loss through the skin and gastrointestinal tract, osmotic
diuresis, hypertonic saline administration
 Hypokalemia: hyperaldosteronism, loop diuretics 
 Hyperkalemia: increase release from cells as in metabolic acidosis, insulin deficiency,
beta-blocker or decreased potassium excretion as in acute or chronic kidney disease,
aldosterone deficiency or resistance
 Hypercalcemia: malignancy, hyperparathyroidism, chronic granulomatous disease
 Hypocalcemia: acute pancreatitis, parathyroid hormone deficiency after thyroidectomy,
neck dissection, resistance to parathormone, hypomagnesemia, sepsis 
 Hypermagnesemia: increase oral magnesium intake
 Hypomagnesemia: renal losses as in diuretics, alcohol use disorder or GI losses as
in diarrhea
 Bicarbonate level: increases in primary metabolic alkalosis or compensation to primary
respiratory acidosis - decreases in primary metabolic acidosis or compensation to primary
respiratory alkalosis.
 Hyperchloremia: normal saline infusion
 Hypochloremia: GI loss as in diarrhea, renal losses with diuretics
 Hypophosphatemia: refeeding syndrome, vitamin D deficiency, hyperparathyroidism
 Hyperphosphatemia: hypoparathyroidism, chronic kidney disease