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Abstract
Congenital chloride losing diarrhoea (CCLD) is a rare disease caused by mutations in an intestinal chloride/bicarbonate ion exchange channel. Few reports describe CCLD in adults and none has described the impact of a parasitic infection on CCLD. Severe diarrhoea may result in hypokalaemia with QT interval prolongation. Treatment with antiemetics may further increase the QT interval. To raise awareness of this preventable complication, we describe the course of a woman in her 20s with CCLD who developed COVID-19 and a Blastocystis hominis infestation. Treatment with antiemetics and hypokalaemia resulted in prolongation of the QT interval to 640 ms. While, the QT interval normalised with discontinuation of antiemetics and electrolyte replacement, patients with CCLD must take precautions to prevent gastrointestinal infections. Regardless, whenever patients with CCLD present to hospital, the authors recommend monitoring the QT interval and avoiding medications that predispose to torsade de pointes.
- Safety
- Infection (gastroenterology)
- Genetics
- Foodborne infections
- Arrhythmias
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Footnotes
Contributors RR, AAA and MAA were involved with patient care, conceptualisation, data collection, preparation of the manuscript, editing and approval of the final manuscript for publication.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.