Suicide attempt using potassium tablets for congenital chloride diarrhea: A case report

Congenital chloride diarrhea (CCD) is a rare inherited disorder of intestinal electrolyte transport that results in a large wastage of electrolytes and water. Advances in substitution therapy using sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl) have dramatically improved survival for patients with CCD. Slow-release KCl is widely prescribed as a potassium supplement; however, it has also occasionally been used in suicide attempts, as potassium poisoning can generate life-threatening hyperkalemia.

A 26-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) with self-poisoning, having taken 30 tablets of slow-release KCl (total: 240 mmol potassium) following an auditory hallucination. The patient had been undergoing substitution therapy with NaCl and KCl for CCD and been followed up in the pediatric department. One month prior, she developed insomnia and anxiety and had consulted a psychiatrist. At the ED, although her general condition was good, she appeared agitated. Her serum potassium level was 7.0 mmol/L, indicating hyperkalemia, and electrocardiographic changes showed tenting of the T-waves. She responded to the administration of calcium gluconate, sodium bicarbonate, and insulin with glucose, and the serum potassium level improved. Finally, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In CCD management, physicians should pay careful attention to patients' extraintestinal issues, including psychological disorders that may emerge in adulthood.