Spironolactone
(speer on oh lak’ tone)
Why is this medication prescribed?
Spironolactone is used to treat certain patients with hyperaldosteronism (the body produces too much aldosterone, a naturally occurring hormone); low potassium levels; and in patients with edema (fluid retention) caused by various conditions, including heart, liver, or kidney disease.
Hypomagnesemia
By Shawna Kopchu RN
Hypomagnesemia is a common imbalance in critically ill patients; yet it is frequently overlooked. (Perhaps one reason is that it is easily mistaken for potassium deficit, a condition with which it is often associated.) Magnesium deficit also occurs in less acutely ill individuals, such as those experiencing withdrawal from alcohol and those receiving nourishment after a period of starvation (as in tube feedings or total parental nutrition). Indeed, there are a number of clinical situations associated with hypomagnesemia; some of the more common etiological factors are described below.
Magnesium Products
By Herbert C. Mansmann Jr., M.D. and Shawna Kopchu RN
Choose the Right Magnesium
Choosing the right magnesium salt to take can be confusing. Each person has their own personal preference as to what they use based on manufacturer, price, quantity, dosage, ect. This page will help you understand each product based on dose, absorption rate, peak effect and side effects, ect. All of these products are considered dietary supplements and are available over the counter without a prescription. You can order all of them online or purchase them in any drugstore.
Testing for Bartter Syndrome
If patients, especially dehydrated infants and young children, are found to have hypokalemia and a high serum bicarbonate concentration on routine labs and do not correct with potassium and chloride replacement treatment, consider possible renal tubular disorder.
Survey Results
Results from Mail in Survey
One thing I have noticed in doing the surveys is that the older a person gets the more symptoms they have. A small child has very few which is probably because mom does not know what that child is truly feeling. In the teens the symptoms increase but only slightly. In the 20’s a slight increase and then in the 30’s the person has 10 or more symptoms. By the 40’s the person has most of the symptoms listed below. This could be because the person has had it longer so they are more aware of their symptoms or it could be that as we age the symptoms will increase.
Sample Doctor Letter
Many patients have had great difficulty obtaining appropriate treatment in emergency situations. Hospital emergency rooms staff are usually not familiar with Bartter’s or Gitelman’s Syndromes. Patients are often given inadequate treatment through a combination of lack of familiarity with these rare conditions and disbelief when patients try to describe their condition and how it should be treated.
Nephrocalcinosis
Definition: Deposits of calcium (in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate) in the kidney, a process that may result in reduced kidney function.
Nephrocalcinosis can be caused by several conditions including: the excess excretion of calcium by the kidney, renal tubular acidosis, medullary sponge kidney, hypercalcemia (high calcium levels in the blood), renal cortical necrosis, and tuberculosis.
Kidney Tutorial
One of the easiest ways to learn about Bartter’s and Gitelman’s syndrome is to learn how the normal kidney functions. This page is to teach you more information about the kidneys and how they function. Take your time and read the information a few times. Remember when we went to college for nursing it took a while to learn all of this stuff. So don’t expect it to make sense the first time you read it. The more you read the more you will learn. Learning this will help you understand your disease, why it happens and what affect it has on you and your kidneys.
Kidney Basics
The kidneys maintain the body’s delicate balance of fluid, acid, and alkaline constituents by disposing of surplus water, sodium, potassium, and other elements. They also help determine bone strength, activate vitamin D, and make a hormone needed for red blood cell production. Poor kidney function can lead to anemia, weaker bones, high blood pressure, a greater risk of general infection, and kidney stones.
Genetics
Genetics is the study of heredity, the passing of traits from parents to their children. Physical traits such as eye color are inherited, as are biochemical and physiologic traits, including the tendency to develop certain diseases.