Chronic laxative abusers with pseudo-idiopathic oedema and autonomous pseudo-Bartter's syndrome. A spectrum of metabolic madness, or new lights on an old disease?

The numerous metabolic abnormalities encountered in chronic purgative abusers were investigated and the new concept of autonomous pseudo-Bartter's syndrome documented. Detailed metabolic screening tests were performed in 9 women aged 17-54 years. Two patients underwent further studies, including serum renin and aldosterone, blood volume, total body potassium, urinary chloride and prostaglandin determinations, and each underwent renal biopsy on admission and after 1 year free from laxative abuse. Clinical complications included confusion, convulsions, coma, skeletal muscle weakness with or without paralysis or rhabdomyolysis, cardiac failure, urinary tract infections and bone disease (osteomalacia, secondary hyperparathyroidism and osteoporosis). Hypokalaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hypocalcaemia and hypophosphataemia were frequent findings. Serum creatine kinase correlated inversely with the product of the potassium and serum phosphate (r = -0.86; P less than 0.03), suggesting that hypokalaemia and hypophosphataemia act synergistically to produce muscle damage. After laxative withdrawal, oedema and weight gain, followed by diuresis, ensued in 7 patients. In the other 2, ongoing chloruresis, kaliuresis, hyper-reninaemia and raised urinary prostaglandin secretion persisted. Renal biopsies in these 2 patients showed the features of juxtaglomerular apparatus hyperplasia as well as medullary interstitial cell hyperplasia. In conclusion, pseudo-Bartter's syndrome was documented in 9 chronic laxative abusers. Because patients often indulged in more than one aberrant habit, e.g. laxative and/or diuretic abuse or bulimia, the clinical syndrome produced a myriad of confounding metabolic derangements, which we termed 'metabolic madness'. Laxative withdrawal was complicated by temporary pseudo-idiopathic oedema, which persisted in 2 patients. Further studies in these 2 women strongly supported the concept of 'autonomous pseudo-Bartter's syndrome'.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)