Sust. FEM. Low amount of potassium (K ) in the blood. It is when it is less than 3.5 millimoles per litre ( 41 mmol/l; [or 3.5 milliequivalents per litre ( meq/l )]. Is classified in: ) mild: K = 3 to 3.5 mmol/l; (b) ) moderate: K = 2.5 to 3.0 mmol/l; c ) severe: K less than 2.5 mmol/l, or oral intolerance: rejection or hypersensitivity to food ( vomiting, for example ). Etymology: 1 ) the Greek preposition «hypó»: bass; 2 ) technicality «potassium», «pot» English: vase, and «ash»: Ash ( by the discovery of this chemical element method: evaporation of leachate from ashes of wood or leaves of trees ) 3 ) «áima»: blood ( the diphthong 'AI' becomes 'e' ) 4 ) the ending «ia» with the meaning of pathological condition. Synonyms: hypokalemia, hipokaliemia ( from neolatín "kalium", from which is derived the symbol of potassium ). Antonyms: hyperkalemia, hiperkaliemia, hyperkalaemia.