[Pseudo-Conn's syndrome after habitual ingestion of liquorice. Report on various clinical cases]

Four female subjects were admitted to our Department for a form of severe systo-diastolic hypertension, recalcitrant to previous anti-hypertensive treatment, accompanied by marked hypokalemia. Patients had a common history of the continuous use, for pleasure or medicinal purposes, of liquorice-based preparations. In all cases, suspension led to normalisation of kalemia in a period varying from six to fifteen days, while arterial pressure values and all other essential parameters examined (plasma reninic activity, aldosteronuria, etc.) recovered their balance more slowly