Pediatric Bartter Syndrome Follow-up
- Author: Prasad Devarajan, MD; Chief Editor: Craig B Langman, MD more...
Further Outpatient Care
- Growth, development, renal function, and serum electrolytes should be evaluated periodically, ideally in a pediatric nephrology clinic. Cases of coexisting growth hormone deficiency that respond to growth hormone therapy with catch-up growth have been reported.
Complications
- Cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death may result from electrolyte imbalances.
- Failure to thrive, growth retardation, and developmental delay are common in untreated patients.
- Chronic hypokalemia results in slow progression to chronic renal insufficiency.
- A significant decrease in bone mineral density has been documented in patients with both neonatal and classic forms.
Prognosis
- The effects of prostaglandin synthetase inhibition include an increase in the plasma potassium concentration (however, this rarely exceeds 3.5 mEq/L), a decrease in the magnitude of polyuria, and improved general well being.
- With treatment, plasma renin and aldosterone levels normalize.
- Therapy improves the patient's clinical condition and allows catch-up growth.
- Bone age is usually appropriate for chronological age, and pubertal and intellectual development are normal with treatment.
- The effectiveness of long-term use of prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors is well established. Some patients may experience a recurrence of hypokalemia, which can be managed by adjusting the indomethacin dose or with potassium supplementation.
- The disease does not recur in the patient with a transplanted kidney.
Patient Education
- Diet: Patients should be educated about which foods have high potassium content.
- Exercise: Patients should avoid strenuous exercise because of the danger of dehydration and functional cardiac abnormalities secondary to potassium imbalance.
- Medication: The importance of compliance with medications should be stressed. Patients should be aware of potential adverse effects of medical therapy, especially GI irritation and bleeding.
- For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Growth Hormone Deficiency Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education articles Growth Hormone Deficiency, Growth Failure in Children, Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children, and Growth Hormone Deficiency FAQs.
Lin SH, Yang SS, Chau T. A practical approach to genetic hypokalemia. Electrolyte Blood Press. Jun 2010;8(1):38-50. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Deschênes G, Fila M. Primary molecular disorders and secondary biological adaptations in bartter syndrome. Int J Nephrol. 2011;2011:396209. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Janssen AG, Scholl U, Domeyer C, et al. Disease-Causing Dysfunctions of Barttin in Bartter Syndrome Type IV. J Am Soc Nephrol. Sep 5 2008;[Medline].
Kitanaka S, Sato U, Maruyama K, Igarashi T. A compound heterozygous mutation in the BSND gene detected in Bartter syndrome type IV. Pediatr Nephrol. Feb 2006;21(2):190-3. [Medline].
Zaffanello M, Taranta A, Palma A, et al. Type IV Bartter syndrome: report of two new cases. Pediatr Nephrol. Jun 2006;21(6):766-70. [Medline].
Birkenhager R, Otto E, Schurmann MJ, et al. Mutation of BSND causes Bartter syndrome with sensorineural deafness and kidney failure. Nat Genet. Nov 2001;29(3):310-4. [Medline].
Garcia-Nieto V, Flores C, Luis-Yanes MI, et al. Mutation G47R in the BSND gene causes Bartter syndrome with deafness in two Spanish families. Pediatr Nephrol. May 2006;21(5):643-8. [Medline].
Kramer BK, Bergler T, Stoelcker B, Waldegger S. Mechanisms of Disease: the kidney-specific chloride channels ClCKA and ClCKB, the Barttin subunit, and their clinical relevance. Nat Clin Pract Nephrol. Jan 2008;4(1):38-46. [Medline].
Seyberth HW. An improved terminology and classification of Bartter-like syndromes. Nat Clin Pract Nephrol. Aug 2008;[Medline].
Walsh SB, Unwin E, Vargas-Poussou R, Houillier P, Unwin R. Does hypokalaemia cause nephropathy? an observational study of renal function in patients with Bartter or Gitelman syndrome. QJM. Nov 2011;104(11):939-44. [Medline].
Chaudhuri A, Salvatierra O Jr, Alexander SR, Sarwal MM. Option of pre-emptive nephrectomy and renal transplantation for Bartter's syndrome. Pediatr Transplant. Mar 2006;10(2):266-70. [Medline].
Bichet DG, Fujiwara TM. Reabsorption of sodium chloride--lessons from the chloride channels. N Engl J Med. Mar 25 2004;350(13):1281-3. [Medline].
Estevez R, Boettger T, Stein V, et al. Barttin is a Cl- channel beta-subunit crucial for renal Cl- reabsorption and inner ear K+ secretion. Nature. Nov 29 2001;414(6863):558-61. [Medline].
Hebert SC. Bartter syndrome. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. Sep 2003;12(5):527-32. [Medline].
Miyamura N, Matsumoto K, Taguchi T, et al. Atypical Bartter syndrome with sensorineural deafness with G47R mutation of the beta-subunit for ClC-Ka and ClC-Kb chloride channels, barttin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Feb 2003;88(2):781-6. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Rodriguez-Soriano J, Vallo A, Aguirre M. Bone mineral density and bone turnover in patients with Bartter syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol. Aug 2005;20(8):1120-5. [Medline].
Rodriguez-Soriano J, Vallo A, Perez de Nanclares G, et al. A founder mutation in the CLCNKB gene causes Bartter syndrome type III in Spain. Pediatr Nephrol. Jul 2005;20(7):891-6. [Medline].
Scheinman SJ, Guay-Woodford LM, Thakker RV, Warnock DG. Genetic disorders of renal electrolyte transport. N Engl J Med. Apr 15 1999;340(15):1177-87. [Medline].
Schlingmann KP, Konrad M, Jeck N, et al. Salt wasting and deafness resulting from mutations in two chloride channels. N Engl J Med. Mar 25 2004;350(13):1314-9. [Medline].
Shalev H, Ohali M, Kachko L, Landau D. The neonatal variant of Bartter syndrome and deafness: preservation of renal function. Pediatrics. Sep 2003;112(3 Pt 1):628-33. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Starremans PG, Kersten FF, Knoers NV, et al. Mutations in the human Na-K-2Cl cotransporter (NKCC2) identified in Bartter syndrome type I consistently result in nonfunctional transporters. J Am Soc Nephrol. Jun 2003;14(6):1419-26. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Vaisbich MH, Fujimura MD, Koch VH. Bartter syndrome: benefits and side effects of long-term treatment. Pediatr Nephrol. Aug 2004;19(8):858-63. [Medline].
| Bartter Syndrome Genotype-Phenotype Correlations | ||
| Genetic Type | Defective Gene | Clinical Type |
| Bartter type I | NKCC2 | Neonatal |
| Bartter type II | ROMK | Neonatal |
| Bartter type III | CLCNKB | Classic |
| Bartter type IV | BSND | Neonatal with deafness |
| Bartter type V | CLCNKB and CLCNKA | Neonatal with deafness |
| Gitelman syndrome | NCCT | Gitelman syndrome |

