Patient VP portrayed by John Posner
@chubbyemu version    • A Man Ate 2 Pounds Licorice Candy. Th...  
Based on N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1263-1275. Link below.
Audio-only version: https://anchor.fm/chubbyemu

TikTokers Taking Benadryl ►    • TikTokers Taking Too Much Benadryl  
Bitcoin Miner Heatstroke ►    • A Brief Discussion of Heatstroke  
A Bitcoin Miner Heatstroked In His Sleep ►    • A Brief Discussion of Heatstroke  

Tweet me:   / hemereview  
IG me:   / hemereview  
FB me:   / hemereview  

Some music by @Lifeformed ► https://lifeformed.bandcamp.com

Licorice candy has glycyrrhizin which increases cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the body. This causes hypokalemia. Hypo- low. Kal- kalium (potassium). emia- presence in blood. Potassium signals muscle relaxation. Low potassium, low relaxation. Heart can't relax, then it stops.

Real licorice candy is not easy to get in the United States. It's not at big chain grocery stores. Most of what you can buy from the big brands is licorice flavored, and won't do this.

These cases are patients who I, or my colleagues have seen. They are de-identified and many instances have been presented in more depth in an academic setting. These videos are not individual medical advice and are for general educational purposes only. I do not give medical advice over the internet.

References:

A 54-Year-Old Man with Sudden Cardiac Arrest. N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1263-1275. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056...

The Pharmacological Activities of Glycyrrhizinic Acid (“Glycyrrhizin”) and Glycyrrhetinic Acid. Sweeteners. 2018 : 245–261. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Sustained Leukocyte Count during Rising Cortisol Level. Acta Haematologica 118(2):73-6. https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/med...

Licorice-Induced Hypermineralocorticoidism. N Engl J Med 1991; 325:1223-1227. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056...

Young WF, et. al. Apparent mineralocorticoid excess syndromes (including chronic licorice ingestion). In: UpToDate, Post, TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2019.

Quinkler M, Stewart PM. Hypertension and the cortisol-cortisone shuttle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003; 88:2384.

Funder JW. Apparent mineralocorticoid excess. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2017; 165:151.

Funder JW. 11 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: new answers, new questions. Eur J Endocrinol 1996; 134:267.