Clinical and Genetic Features in 31 Serial Chinese Children With Gitelman Syndrome

Gitelman syndrome (GS, OMIM 263800) is a genetic congenital tubulopathy associated with salt loss, which is characterized by hypokalemic metabolic toxicity, hypocalciuria, and hypomagnesemia. GS, which is typically detected in adolescence or adulthood, has long been considered a benign tubular lesion; however, the disease is associated with a significant decrease in the quality of life. In this study, we assessed the genotype-phenotype correlations based on the medical histories, clinical symptoms, laboratory test results, and whole-exome sequencing profiles from pediatric patients with GS. Between January 2014 and December 2020, all 31 consecutively enrolled patients complained of fatigue, salt craving, and muscle weakness. Sixteen patients demonstrated growth retardation, and five patients presented with nocturia and constipation. All patients presented with hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, normal blood pressure, hyperaldosteronism, and a preserved glomerular filtration rate, and 24 of the 31 (77.4%) patients had hypomagnesemia. Homozygous, compound heterozygous, and heterozygous mutations in SLC12A3 were detected in 4, 24, and 3 patients, respectively. GS patients often present with muscle weakness and fatigue caused by hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. Therefore, early diagnosis of GS is important in young children to reduce the possibility of growth retardation, tetany, and seizures. Next-generation sequencing such as whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing provides a practical tool for the early diagnosis and improvement of GS prognosis. Further whole-genome sequencing is expected to reveal more variants in SLC123A among GS patients with single heterozygous mutations.