title: Hyponatremia in an Elderly Patient due to Isolated Hypoaldosteronism Occurring after Licorice Withdrawal.
abstract: Hyponatremia is one of the most common electrolyte disorders encountered in the elderly. We present the case of an 81-year-old man who developed hyponatremia due to isolated hypoaldosteronism occurring after licorice withdrawal. He had severe hypokalemia with hypertension and was diagnosed with pseudoaldosteronism. He had been taking a very small dose of licorice as a mouth refresher since his early adulthood. Five months after licorice withdrawal, he developed hypovolemic hyponatremia, which was resolved with administration of fludrocortisone acetate. Our experience with this case suggests that isolated hypoaldosteronism occurring after licorice withdrawal should be considered as a potential cause of hyponatremia in elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Kyoto City Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hataya
authors.forename: Akifumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Yasato
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komatsu
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005438:Fludrocortisone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006035:Glycyrrhiza; D006801:Humans; D006994:Hypoaldosteronism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007010:Hyponatremia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D009067:Mouthwashes
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D009067:Mouthwashes; D005438:Fludrocortisone; C034635:fludrocortisone acetate