This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Probable Mechanism of Action

Frederic Q. Vroom, MD; Maureen A. Jarrell; Thomas H. Maren, MD

Arch Neurol. 1975;32(6):385-392.

Abstract
Following administration of glucose and insulin to three patients with hypokalemic periodic paralysis, serum K fell 1.9 mM. After administration of acetazolamide, 250 mg four times daily, serum K fell 0.9 mM, a substantial difference. In normal persons glucose and insulin lowered serum K 0.5 mM, and this was not changed substantially by acetazolamide.

The metabolic acidosis induced by the drug appears to be responsible for the change in decrement of serum K and for the amelioration of symptoms in the patients. The findings agree with earlier reports that metabolic acidosis lowers the rate of entry of K^± into muscle, thus opposing the heightened or pathological entry of K^± into muscle cells during attacks of the disease.

Author Affiliations
From the departments of pharmacology and therapeutics and of medicine (neurology), University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Sept 3, 1974.

Reprint requests to Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Box 728, JHM Health Center, Gainesville, FL 32610 (Dr. Maren).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Hypokalaemic periodic paralysis type 2 caused by mutations at codon 672 in the muscle sodium channel gene SCN4A
Sternberg et al.
Brain 2001;124:1091-1099.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Continuous muscle fibre activity: a case treated with acetazolamide
Celebisoy et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 1998;64:256-258.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Dissociation of Glucose and Potassium Arterial-Venous Differences Across the Forearm by Acetazolamide: A Possible Relationship to Acetazolamide's Beneficial Effect in Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis
Riggs et al.
Arch Neurol 1984;41:35-38.
ABSTRACT  

Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis
Roeltgen
Arch Neurol 1979;36:453-453.
ABSTRACT  

Erythrocyte Membrane Studies in Familial Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis
Buruma et al.
Arch Neurol 1978;35:615-616.
ABSTRACT  

Acetazolamide-Induced Weakness in Paramyotonia Congenita
RIGGS et al.
ANN INTERN MED 1977;86:169-173.
ABSTRACT  

The Effect of Acidosis in Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis
Jarrell et al.
Arch Neurol 1976;33:791-793.
ABSTRACT