Common Symptoms Of Gitelman Syndrome

Extreme Fatigue Or Irritability

Extreme fatigue and irritability are thought to be associated with decreased levels of magnesium that result from salt-wasting in Gitelman syndrome patients. Magnesium has a pivotal role in the production and activation of ATP or usable cellular energy. Fat and glucose are taken from the diet and metabolized in the mitochondria of the cell into carbon dioxide, water, and ATP. ATP is required for cells to perform their respective functions, allowing all of the organs and organ systems in the body to work effectively. A reduction in ATP due to magnesium deficiency causes the body to redistribute the cellular energy it does have to the cells that contribute the most to vital functions. Vital functions do not include certain muscles and other tissues in the limbs. This energy redistribution presents in an affected individual as fatigue and weakness.

Irritability occurs from effects magnesium deficiency has on the nerves and impulse transmissions. Nerves in the brain can become overstimulated because magnesium is not present to mediate calcium. Impulses fire excessively, and vasoconstriction occurs in the absence of calcium regulation by magnesium. These mechanisms produce painful sensations in the brain that manifest as a headache that compounds with fatigue and other symptoms to cause irritability.