STUDY OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF BARTTER GITELMANS SYNDROME - ATTEMPT OF CLASSIFICATION - ROLE OF RENAL MAGNESIUM DEPLETION/

Based on the concentrating ability and serum magnesium level it is pos sible to make a distinction between Bartter's syndrome, a defect local ized in the medullary part the thick ascending limb of the loop of Hen le and Gitelman's syndrome, a defect localized in the distal nephron a fter the medullary part of the ascending limb of the loop of Henle. A few patients, however, cannot be classified and are waiting for molecu lar approach in their disorders. From the fifteen investigated patient s seven had a lowered serum magnesium level. From these seven five had also a slightly reduced content of magnesium in the erythrocyte. The magnesium content of the mononuclear cells expressed as mu g/protein o r mu g/ DNA was normal in all patients. A pronounced magnesium deficie ncy was apparently not present in these group of patients.