Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
- Volume 3 Issue 1
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- Pages.50-52
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- 2001
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- 2508-691X(pISSN)
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- 2508-6960(eISSN)
Licorice-induced Hypokalemic Myopathy
감초 유발성 저칼륨혈성 근병증
- Park, Kyung-Seok (Department of Neurology, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital) ;
- Chung, Jae-Myun (Department of Neurology, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital) ;
- Joo, Mee (Department of Anatomical Pathology, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital) ;
- Lim, Kyung Ho (Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital) ;
- Lee, Kwang-Woo (Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital)
- 박경석 (인제대학교 서울백병원 신경과) ;
- 정재면 (인제대학교 서울백병원 신경과) ;
- 주미 (인제대학교 서울백병원 해부병리과) ;
- 임경호 (인제대학교 서울백병원 내과) ;
- 이광우 (서울대학교병원 신경과)
- Published : 2001.07.30
Abstract
Licorice is widely used as a Chinese(herbal) medicine. The glycyrrhizin, a main ingredient of the natural licorice, has a potent mineralocorticoid effect which may cause severe hypokalemia and muscle paralysis. We present a 60-year-old woman, who had been ingesting one or two spoonful of licorice powder daily for about one year, developed acute flaccid quadriparesis with high levels of serum muscle enzymes and the typical features of mineralocorticoid excess such as severe hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. Both plasma renin activity and serum aldosterone level were below the normal values. This case indicates that licorice-induced hypokalemic myopathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient with acute quadriparesis and hypokalemia.