The old lady who liked liquorice: hypertension due to chronic intoxication in a memory-impaired patient.
The authors report an 85-year-old patient admitted because of cognitive impairment. During examination hypertension and hypokalaemia were found. After some time it was discovered that the patient was eating too much liquorice. The case demonstrates that liquorice intoxication should be considered as a cause of hypertension in old age. Furthermore the case demonstrates that missing an intoxication is a pitfall for medical history taking of patients with cognitive impairment.
Janse
A
A
Department of Geriatrics (318), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
van Iersel
M
M
Hoefnagels
W H L
WH
Olde Rikker
M G M
MG
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002182:Candy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D006035:Glycyrrhiza / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000139:chemically induced; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011546:Pseudohypoaldosteronism / Q000139:chemically induced
D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid