Adult ; Female ; Gitelman Syndrome ; therapy ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; therapy

The syndrome of watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, and achlorhydria (WDHA syndrome) is rare, and occasionally related with neurogenic tumors. A 20-month-old girl presenting symptoms of WDHA syndrome was transferred to our hospital. She had a ganglioneuroblastoma of adrenal gland. The serum level of VIP was elevated. After complete excision of tumor, all symptoms of WDHA syndrome were improved. The postoperative course was uneventful, and symptoms of WDHA syndrome disappeared. The serum level of VIP dropped to normal. The girl with postoperative chemotherapy and radiation therapy survived without evidence of disease for 33 months after complete resection.
Achlorhydria ; Adrenal Glands ; Diarrhea ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Ganglioneuroblastoma* ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Infant ; Vipoma*

The study reports a female neonate with a gestational age of 29weeks and a birth weight of 1 210 g. Ten minutes after birth, the neonate was admitted to the hospital due to shortness of breath. Several days after birth, the neonate presented with hyperglycemia, polyuria, and poor weight gain, accompanied by azotemia, hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis, hypokalemia, and hyponatremia. Laboratory examinations showed elevated levels of aldosterone, renin, and angiotensin II. Gene detection revealed SLC12A1 gene mutation. Neonatal Bartter syndrome was thus confirmed. The neonate was treated with sodium and potassium supplements, and was followed up for 8 months. During the follow-up, the mental and neural development of the neonate was almost normal at the corrected age, and regular reexaminations showed slight metabolic alkalosis and almost normal electrolyte levels. For the neonates who have the symptoms of unexplainable polyurine and electrolyte disorders, it is important to examine the levels of aldosterone, renin and angiotensin. A definite diagnosis of neonatal Bartter syndrome can be made based on the presence of SLC12A1 gene mutation.
Acidosis ; etiology ; Bartter Syndrome ; etiology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; etiology ; Infant, Newborn ; Recurrence ; Weight Gain

Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive agent that plays an important therapeutic role for organ transplantation. However, complications due to type 1 renal tubular acidosis, albeit rare, have been reported. We experienced a case of severe metabolic acidosis associated with cyclosporine administration after renal transplantation. A 54-year old man was hospitalized for seizure, confusion and weakness. He demonstrated severe metabolic acidosis and hypokalemia. Continuous renal replacement therapy was started and sodium bicarbonate was administered to correct the acidosis and the dosage of cyclosporine was reduced. Thereafter, the cyclosporine level in whole blood decreased gradually, and the metabolic acidosis improved.
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Renal Tubular ; Cyclosporine ; Hypokalemia ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Organ Transplantation ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Seizures ; Sodium Bicarbonate ; Transplants

A woman aged 45 years was presented with hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis and hypomagnesemia associated with renal potassium and magnesium wasting. Her 24-hour urinary calcium excretion was strikingly low despite normocalcemia and normal creatinine clearance, which is one of characteristic findings of Gitelman's syndrome (GS). She was evaluated for the responses following Mg supplementation for 10 days, which showed marked increments in serum potassium and magnesium as well as improvements of the degree of renal potassium wasting and hypocalciuria. This amelioration of abnormal biochemical pictures in this patient after Mg supplementation proposes that the hypokalemia with renal potassium wasting and hypocalciuria may be caused by abnormal Mg metabolism.
Bartter's Disease/urine ; Bartter's Disease/therapy* ; Bartter's Disease/blood ; Calcium/urine* ; Case Report ; Female ; Food, Fortified ; Human ; Hypokalemia/therapy* ; Magnesium/blood* ; Middle Age ; Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Serum potassium level assessment is one of the commonly requested laboratory tests. Hypokalemia is defined as a serum potassium level of less than 3.5 mEq/L. It can be potentially life-threatening when severe, due to its association with cardiac arrhythmia and sudden deaths. The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence and to define clinical characteristics of severe hypokalemia in internal medicine hospitalized patients. METHODS: From December 1999 to June 2000, the group with at least one recorded plasma potassium concentration of less than 3.0 mEq/L was selected in department of internal medicine, Pusan national university hospital. Routine records of age, sex and prevalence was collected. Severe hypokalemia is defined as a serum potassium concentration less than 2.6 mEq/L. This patients were retrospectively studied for discharge diagnosis, medications prescribed before and during hospital stay, hospital course and laboratory findings. RESULTS: There were 7.52% (235/3124) with at least one recorded potassium level of less than 3.0 mEq/L. Severe hypokalemia were 75 patients (2.4%). It were more likely to be female, but statically insignificant. Of the 75 patients, 59 patients (77.3%) had hypokalemia during hospitalization. Gastrointestinal loss of potassium was only 13.8% of the patients. The main causes were combination of iatrogenic factors, including the adminstration of intravenous fluids with insufficient or no potassium, malnutrition, and several drugs. The discharge diagnosis included infection 20 patients (26.6%), malignancy 19 patients (25.3%), gastointestinal disorders 8 patients (10.6%). And each of cardiovascular, respiratory and renal disorders have 7 patients (9.3%). In-hospital mortality was 34.6% (26/75) in severe hypokalemia. Compared to the alive group, death group showed statically significant decrease in serum albumin concentration (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Severe hypokalemia is fatal electrolyte disorder. The most frequent cause of this lethal condition is drug therapy and intravenous fluids with insufficient or no potassium replacement. It can be prevented by regular potassium monitoring and appropriate potassium supplementation in risky hospitalized patients.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Busan ; Death, Sudden ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypokalemia* ; Internal Medicine* ; Length of Stay ; Malnutrition ; Plasma ; Potassium ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-secreting tumors (VIPomas) cause VIPoma syndrome, which is characterized by watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, and achlorhydria. The treatment options for metastatic VIPomas include somatostatin analogs, cytoreductive surgery, and chemotherapy. We report the case of a 54-year-old male who presented with a peripancreatic mass with multiple hepatic metastases on computed tomography. After resection, the peripancreatic mass was demonstrated pathologically to be a neuroendocrine tumor. Although the patient received systemic chemotherapy and somatostatin analogs for the hepatic metastatic masses, the tumor increased in size. The patient then experienced severe diarrhea, despite treatment with the somatostatin analogs. Elevated serum VIP levels (3,260 pg/mL) and typical symptoms confirmed the diagnosis of VIPoma. We performed hepatic artery embolization (HAE) to reduce the tumor volume and control his symptoms, which led to a very rapid symptomatic response. The patient has remained symptom-free for 18 months with repeated HAE.
Achlorhydria ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Drug Therapy ; Hepatic Artery* ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Liver* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Somatostatin ; Tumor Burden ; Vipoma*

BACKGROUND: Exertional rhabdomyolysis, although uncommon, is a severe critical illness due to acute renal failure(ARF) and other complications. This study evaluated the clinical, laboratory characteristics of exertional rhabdomyolysis. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted which examined 26 patients with exertional rhabdomyolysis from Apr. 2000 to Oct. 2001. RESULTS: Fourteen patients(54%) were diagnosed with heat stroke which mostly occurred as a result of a forced march and 12 patients(46%) were diagnosed with exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis which mainly occurred during basic or guerrilla training. All the patients were severely dehydrated and 8 patients(31%) presented with shock. The patients diagnosed with heat stroke were more at risk to shock, seizures, and disseminated intravascular coagulation, than patients who were not diagnosed with heat stroke. Sixteen patients(62%) were diagnosed with ARF(oliguric ARF 9, non-oliguric ARF 7). Seven patients with oliguric ARF received renal replacement therapy. Most patients presented with normal or hypokalemic state in spite of frequent renal failure and metabolic acidosis. Eight patients(31%), mainly diagnosed with heat stoke, were in hypokalemic state and 4 patients(15%) were in hypophosphatemic state. Three patients(20%) died. Of those who survived, three patients suffered from persisting CNS dysfunction. All of them were victims of the heat stroke. CONCLUSION: Acute renal failure was a common complication of exertional rhabdomyolysis. Severe dehydration, shock, and hypokalemia were common during the early course of exertional rhabdomyolysis, especially in patients with heat stroke which was a main, poor prognostic factor of exertional rhabdomyolysis.
Acidosis ; Acute Kidney Injury* ; Critical Illness ; Dehydration ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Heat Stroke ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhabdomyolysis* ; Seizures ; Shock

About 5% of patients with SCLC have the ectopic production of ACTH. Ectopic ACTH production of SCLC is suspected when patients of SCLC have unexplained metabolic alkalosis and hypokalemia. Most patients lack the classic feature of Cushing's syndrome. According to the recent report, they have poor prognosis, which median survival is less than 4 months and associated with a high rate of complication during chemotherapy. Also a case of paraneoplastic CRH production with SCLC can mimic the ectopic ACTH syndrome hut it can be distinguished by immunohistochemistry or direct measurement of serum CRH level. We report here a case of small cell lung cancer associated with Cushing's syndrome of ectopic ACTH production. That is immunohistochemically provened by staining with ACTH.
ACTH Syndrome, Ectopic ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone* ; Alkalosis ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Prognosis ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Although organotin compounds are widely used as PVC stabilizers, catalysts and biocides, their effects on humans are not well known. However, their acute intoxication is known to cause neurotoxicity in the central nervous system, renal toxicity, and hepatotoxicity. As there has been no previously published case of organotin intoxication in Korea, we report here the first Korean case of acute exposure to organotin. CASE REPORT: A 43-year-old male with disorientation and behavioral change was admitted to a hospital. He had been working as a tank cleaner for several different companies in the previous 8 years and a week before admission, he had cleaned a tank containing dimethyltin (DMT) for 4 days. A day after finishing the job, he suffered decreased memory, behavioral change and progressive mental deterioration when he arrived at the emergency room. The result of spinal tapping was negative but on the 4th day of admission he deteriorated into a state of coma along with metabolic acidosis and severe hypokalemia. High levels of DMT and trimethyltin (TMT) were detected in a highly sensitive urine analysis. After conservative treatment and chelation therapy, the patient showed some clinical improvement but the neurological defects persisted. CONCLUSION: The patient appeared to have been intoxicated from the acute exposure to a high level of organotin while cleaning the tank.
Acidosis ; Adult ; Central Nervous System ; Chelation Therapy ; Coma ; Disinfectants ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Korea ; Male ; Memory ; Organotin Compounds ; Poisoning* ; Spinal Puncture