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Case Reports
. 2022 Nov 7;12(6):116-118.
doi: 10.55729/2000-9666.1118. eCollection 2022.

Pseudo Hyperaldosteronism Secondary to Herbal Medicine Use

Omair Khan  1 , Muhammad Hashim  2 , Tiffany Lu  1 , Sheharyar Raashid  3 , Syed Mohammad M Uddin  1 , Joshua Shapiro  1 , Armando Seitillari  1 , Avleen Kaur  1 , Saipriya Vasudevan  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Pseudo Hyperaldosteronism Secondary to Herbal Medicine Use

Omair Khan et al. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. .

Abstract

Glycyrrhizic acid, better known as licorice, is commonly found in various food and cosmetic products. Excessive consumption is known to cause a syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess or pseudo hyperaldosteronism. Patients typically present with resistant hypertension and hypokalemia mimicking symptoms of primary hyperaldosteronism however laboratory workup will reveal low or normal levels of plasma renin and aldosterone in the serum. While diagnosis of licorice toxicity is relatively straight forward, the challenge lies in determining the culpable agent. We report the case of a Chinese man who initially presented with resistant hypertension and hypokalemia refractory to therapy and was later diagnosed with pseudo hyperaldosteronism secondary to licorice toxicity.

Keywords: Apparent mineralocorticoid excess; Herbal medicine; Licorice; Pseudohyperaldosteronism.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflcits of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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    Ceccuzzi G, Rapino A, Perna B, Costanzini A, Farinelli A, Fiorica I, Marziani B, Cianci A, Rossin F, Cesaro AE, Spampinato MD, De Giorgio R, Guarino M. Ceccuzzi G, et al. Nutrients. 2023 Sep 5;15(18):3866. doi: 10.3390/nu15183866. Nutrients. 2023. PMID: 37764649 Free PMC article. Review.

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