Spurious Hyperchloremia and Negative Anion Gap in a Child with Refractory Epilepsy

We report a case with spurious hyperchloremia with negative anion gap in a child who was taking potassium bromide for refractory epilepsy. Blood chemistry showed a high chloride level (171 mEq/L) and a negative anion gap (−52 mEq/L). Plasma chloride concentration is measured by an ion-selective elec...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Madhuradhar Chegondi, Balagangadhar R. Totapally
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Critical Care
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7015463
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We report a case with spurious hyperchloremia with negative anion gap in a child who was taking potassium bromide for refractory epilepsy. Blood chemistry showed a high chloride level (171 mEq/L) and a negative anion gap (−52 mEq/L). Plasma chloride concentration is measured by an ion-selective electrode method; however the presence of other anions like bromide and iodides can interfere with chloride level and largely overestimates the chloride concentration. Thus hyperchloremia with a negative anion gap is a clue to the diagnosis of halides like bromide and iodide ingestion.
ISSN:2090-6420
2090-6439