Hypokalemic paralysis and respiratory failure due to excessive intake of licorice syrup

Year 2014, Volume: 39 Issue: 2, 387 - 391, 22.07.2014

Mehmet Oğuzhan Ay Abdulkadir Aktürk Ahmet Çolakoğlu Alper Çelikdemir Nalan Kozacı Ayça Açıkalın Akkan Avci Salim Satar

https://doi.org/10.17826/cutf.03944

Abstract

Licorice is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, which has a herbal ingredient, glycyrrhizic acid. Excessive intake of licorice may cause a hypermineralocorticoidism-like syndrome characterized by sodium and water retention, hypokalemia, hypertension, metabolic alkalosis, low-renin activity, and hypoaldosteronism. In this paper, an 34 years old man who admitted to the emergency department with respiratory failure and marked muscle weakness of all extremities that progressed to paralysis after excessive intake of licorice syrup was presented. It was aimed to draw attention to the necessity of questioning whether there is excessive intake of licorice or not in patients who admitted to emergency department with paralysis and dyspnea. Plasma potassium concentration of the patient was 1.4 mmol/L. The patient's respiratory distress and loss of muscle strength recovered completely after potassium replacement.

Keywords

Licorice, hypokalemia, paralysis, dyspnea

Aşırı meyan kökü şerbeti alımına bağlı hipopotasemik paralizi ve solunum yetersizliği

Abstract

Meyan kökü glycyrrhizic acid içeren Glycyrrhiza glabra"nın köküdür. Aşırı meyan kökü alımı sodyum ve su retansiyonu, hipokalemi, hipertansiyon, metabolik alkaloz, düşük renin aktivitesi ve hipoaldosteronizm ile karekterize hipermineralokortikoidizm benzeri sendroma yol açabilir. Bu yazıda aşırı meyan kökü şerbeti içimi sonrası acil servise solunum sıkıntısı, kol ve bacaklarında güçsüzlük nedeniyle getirilen hipopotasemik paralizili 34 yaşındaki erkek hasta sunuldu. Acil Servise paralizi ve solunum sıkıntısıyla gelen hastalarda aşırı meyan kökü alımı olup olmadığının sorgulanması gerekliliğine dikkat çekilmesi amaçlandı. Kan potasyum düzeyi 1.4 mmol/L olan hastanın potasyum replasmanı sonrası solunum sıkıntısı ve kas kuvvet kaybı tamamen düzeldi.

Keywords

Meyan kökü, hipopotasemi, paralizi, dispne

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• Yazışma Adresi / Address for Correspondence: Dr. Mehmet Oğuzhan Ay Adana Numune Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Acil Tıp Kliniği, Ege Bagatur Bulvarı üzeri, 01240, Yureğir, Adana, Türkiye
• Email: [e-mail] geliş tarihi/received :28.09.2013 kabul tarihi/accepted:31.10.2013