What’s a potassium sensitivity test?

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A potassium sensitivity test is an investigative medical test that urologists often recommend for patients they suspect may have interstitial cystitis (IC). Interstitial cystitis is a bladder condition that causes recurring symptoms similar to urinary tract infections, but the symptoms cannot be explained because no bacterial infection is detected. There are several diagnostic tests that can be done to help determine the cause of your pelvic and urinary pain and discomfort, and a potassium sensitivity test is a simple test that can be used to determine if IC is the cause of your symptoms.

A doctor may recommend a potassium sensitivity test if a patient has symptoms similar to a urinary tract infection on recurring occasions and laboratory urine cultures show no bacterial infection. The test can be administered in the office and performed by a registered nurse. It takes just 20-30 minutes to complete and requires no anesthesia.

A potassium sensitivity test involves introducing the bladder to two sterile solutions by injection into a catheter. Both water and potassium solutions are injected into the catheter separately, and then comparisons are made based on whether or not the patient feels pain, burning, or other discomfort while the solution remains in the bladder or after. If a patient has IC, she often develops the same pain, urgency, or discomfort that she feels on a recurring basis due to potassium.

This test can be helpful in diagnosing or ruling out IC because patients with IC are thought to have blisters with damaged lining. As the natural potassium in the urine passes through the kidney and into the bladder, the potassium infiltrates cracks in the damaged bladder lining causing the classic symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, pain and discomfort. A test for potassium sensitivity then helps determine whether potassium is indeed causing the symptoms and helps determine whether a visual examination of the bladder, called a cystoscopy, is needed.

Many doctors believe that a potassium sensitivity test is helpful in diagnosing some urinary conditions, while others are still convinced that cystoscopy is more definitive. Individual opinions vary from doctor to doctor, but both tests are simple and carry very little risk. Infection is the major risk involved with a potassium sensitivity test and in case the patient experiences pain and discomfort with the introduction of potassium, a ‘rescue’ rinse can be used to relieve the pain.

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