digoxin and Feeding-and-Eating-Disorders

Topics: Adult; Aged; Clinical Trials as Topic; Digoxin; Drug Combinations; Drug Evaluation; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Headache; Heart Failure; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nausea; Vertigo; Vision Disorders; Vomiting

The isoprenoid pathway produces an endogenous membrane Na+-K+ ATPase inhibitor, digoxin, which can regulate neurotransmitter and amino acid transport. Digoxin synthesis and neurotransmitter patterns were assessed in eating disorders. The patterns were compared in those with right hemispheric and left hemispheric dominance. The serum HMG CoA reductase activity, RBC membrane Na+-K+ ATPase activity, serum digoxin, magnesium, tryptophan catabolites (serotonin, quinolinic acid, strychnine, and nicotine), and tyrosine catabolites (morphine, dopamine, and noradrenaline) were measured in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, right hemispheric dominant, left hemispheric dominant, and bihemispheric dominant individuals. Digoxin synthesis was increased with upregulated tryptophan catabolism and downregulated tyrosine catabolism in those with anorexia nervosa and right hemispheric chemical dominance. Digoxin synthesis was reduced with downregulated tryptophan catabolism and upregulated tyrosine catabolism in those with bulimia nervosa and left hemispheric chemical dominance. The membrane Na+-K+ ATPase activity and serum magnesium were decreased in anorexia nervosa and right hemispheric chemical dominance while they were increased in bulimia nervosa and left hemispheric chemical dominance. Hypothalamic digoxin and hemispheric chemical dominance play a central role in the regulation of eating behavior. Anorexia nervosa represents the right hemispheric chemically dominant/hyperdigoxinemic state and bulimia nervosa the left hemispheric chemically dominant/hypodigoxinemic state.

Topics: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia; Digoxin; Dominance, Cerebral; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Hypothalamus

The art of general practice is to identify important causes of common, often undifferentiated symptoms. This article presents two cases of clinical digoxin toxicity in the presence of normal or low serum digoxin levels. Standard teaching says that symptoms are related directly to toxic serum levels, but this appears to be not always the case.

Topics: Aged; Diarrhea; Digoxin; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Nausea

The status of the erythrocyte sodium pump was evaluated in a group of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa and a group of healthy female control subjects. Anorectic patients showed significantly higher mean values of digoxin-binding sites/cell (ie, the number of Na-K-ATPase units) with respect to control subjects while no differences were found in the specific 86Rb uptake (which reflects the Na-K-ATPase activity) between the two groups. A significant correlation was found between relative weight and the number of Na-K-ATPase pump units (r = -0.66; P less than 0.0001). Anorectic patients showed lower serum T3 concentrations (71.3 +/- 53 ng/dL) with respect to control subjects (100.8 +/- 4.7 ng/dL; P less than 0.0005) and a significant negative correlation between T3 levels and the number of pump units (r = -0.52; P less than 0.003) was found. Our study therefore shows that the erythrocyte Na-K pump may be altered in several anorectic patients. We suggest that this feature could be interrelated with the degree of underweight and/or malnutrition.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anorexia; Digoxin; Erythrocytes; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Potassium; Radioisotopes; Receptors, Drug; Rubidium; Sodium; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; Thyroid Hormones

Topics: Anorexia; Digoxin; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans; Nausea

Salivary electrolytes (potassium and calcium), as well as serum digoxin levels were measured in 114 patients receiving digoxin or one of its derivatives. The mean value of the product of salivary potassium (mVal/I) and calcium (mVal/i in digoxin-treated patients without signs of digitalis intoxication (group 1) was 235 +/- 137 (SD) and with digitalis intoxication (group 2) 404 +/- 161 (SD). The difference in these values was not of statistical significance. The mean serum digoxin levels were 1.38 +/- 0.6 ng/ml (SD) in group 1 and 2.97 +/- 0.7 ng/ml (SD) in group 2; this difference is highly significant (p less than 0.001). Both salivary electrolytes and serum digoxin levels were falsely elevated in 11% of group 1 patients. 50% of the cases in group 2 showed salivary electrolyte values within the range of group 1, but there was only 1 patient with a serum digoxin level of below 2 ng/ml. It can, thus, be concluded that measurement of the salivary electrolytes is a test of only limited value in the assessment of digitalis intoxication, whereas determination of the serum digoxin level is a valuable diagnostic tool.

Topics: Calcium; Digoxin; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans; Nausea; Potassium; Radioimmunoassay; Saliva; Spectrophotometry, Atomic

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Cachexia; Child; Child, Preschool; Digitalis; Digoxin; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Half-Life; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Plants, Medicinal; Plants, Toxic

Topics: Blood Glucose; Calcium; Digoxin; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Hypothalamus; Osmolar Concentration; Pain

Topics: Cerebrovascular Disorders; Digoxin; Disulfides; Drug Combinations; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Heart Diseases; Heart Failure; Humans; Pyridoxine