Renal phosphate handling in Gitelman syndrome--the results of a case-control study

Patients with Gitelman syndrome, a hereditary salt-wasting tubulopathy, have loss-of-function mutations in the SLC12A3 gene coding for the thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride co-transporter in the distal convoluted tubule. Since the bulk of filtered phosphate is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule, renal phosphate wasting is considered exceptional in Gitelman syndrome.

We investigated the renal handling of inorganic phosphate in 12 unselected Italian patients affected with Gitelman syndrome (5 females and 7 males, aged 6.0-18 years, median age 12 years) and in 12 healthy subjects matched for gender and age (controls). The diagnosis of Gitelman syndrome among the patients had been made clinically and confirmed by molecular biology studies.

The biochemical hallmarks of Gitelman syndrome, namely hypochloremia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, increased urinary excretion of sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium and reduced urinary excretion of calcium, were present in the 12 patients. In addition, both the plasma inorganic phosphate concentration (median and interquartile range: 1.28 [1.12-1.36] vs. 1.61 [1.51-1.66)] mmol/L) and the maximal tubular reabsorption of inorganic phosphate (1.08 [0.99-1.22] vs. 1.41 [1.38-1.47] mmol/L) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in Gitelman patients than in control subjects. Circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, intact parathyroid hormone and osteocalcin were similar in patients and controls.

The results of our case-control study disclose a hitherto unrecognized tendency towards renal phosphate wasting with mild to moderate hypophosphatemia in Gitelman syndrome.