2. in psychiatry, an unconscious defense mechanism in which unacceptable ideas, fears, and impulses are thrust out or kept out of consciousness. 3. gene r. enzyme repression interference, usually by the endproduct of a pathway, with synthesis of the enzymes of that pathway. gene repression the inhibition of gene transcription of an operon; in prokaryotes repressor binding to the operon is involved.
Hyperkalemia can result from increased potassium intake, decreased potassium excretion, or a shift of potassium from the intracellular to the extracellular space. The most common causes involve decreased excretion. Alone, excessive intake or an extracellular shift is distinctly uncommon.
Normal serum potassium levels are generally considered to be between 3.5 and 5.0 mEq/L Potassium is the most abundant intracellular cation and about 98% of the body's potassium is found inside cells, with the remainder in the extracellular fluid including the blood.