Npd. Brager et al., REDUCED RENAL FRACTIONAL EXCRETION OF LITHIUM IN CYSTIC-FIBROSIS, British journal of clinical pharmacology, 41(2), 1996, pp. 157-159
We hypothesized that patients with cystic fibrosis would have abnormal
lithium handling because the genetic defect in cystic fibrosis encode
s an ion channel which causes a generalized electrolyte transport diso
rder in epithelial membranes. Eight patients with cystic fibrosis and
eight age-sex matched healthy subjects ingested 600 mg lithium carbona
te and had urine and serum lithium levels assessed 24 h later. Compare
d with healthy subjects, the patients with cystic fibrosis had higher
serum lithium levels (0.071 +/- 0.038 vs 0.113 +/- 0.055 mmol l(-1), P
= 0.03) and had lower fractional renal excretion of lithium (27.5 +/-
14.8 vs 18.8 +/- 9.3%, P = 0.03). Caution should be used in prescribi
ng standard doses of lithium to patients with cystic fibrosis until mo
re definitive data are available.