title: [Clinical analysis of 17 cases of Gitelman syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Gitelman syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients with Gitelman syndrome (male/female: 11/6) were analyzed for their clinical symptoms, laboratory test results, imaging findings, treatments and outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen of the 17 patients presented with varying degrees of lower limb weakness, and 8 experienced flaccid paralysis. The laboratory tests showed hypokalemia (17/17), hypomagnesemia (17/17) and hypocalcemia (17/17). Blood renin activity (17/17), angiotensin II (14/17) and aldosterone levels (7/17) were significantly higher in the patients than in normal subjects. The symptoms were relieved by potassium alone or in combination with indomethacin, spironolactone and other potassium magnesium asparaginate, but the serum potassium and magnesium failed to recover the normal levels after the treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The primary clinical manifestations of Gitelman syndrome are lower extremity weakness with hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. Combined drug therapies including potassium, magnesium, aldosterone antagonists and other drugs are recommended. The prognosis of the patients is favorable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Chinese PLA General Hopital, Beijing 100853, China. quling1210@126.com
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Ting-Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yi-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Mu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D053579:Gitelman Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011195:Potassium Magnesium Aspartate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013148:Spironolactone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013148:Spironolactone; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D011195:Potassium Magnesium Aspartate; D007213:Indomethacin