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.
Hyperkalemia is abnormally high potassium levels in the extracellular (i.e. outside) fluid. This is in contrast to hypokalemia, which is an abnormally low level of potassium. To remember the difference between the prefixes hyper- and hypo-, visualize a hyper child that has had too much sugar.