HYPERNATREMIA AND METABOLIC ALKALOSIS FROM SODIUM-BICARBONATE INTAKE

We report a 58 year-old man with hypernatremia and metabolic alkalosis . He had symptoms of peptic ulcer and he usually took 300-350 g of sod ium bicarbonate every week Twelve hours before admission to the local hospital he developed acute diarrhoea, followed by progressive muscle weakness, obtundation and seizures. He was treated with 5 % glucose, p otassium chloride, 0, 15 mol/l hydrochloric acid and phenytoin. On dis charge, the patient had recovered completely. We comment on the pathog enesis and treatment of these metabolic disorders.