Fanconi syndrome

For a lay person:

Fanconi syndrome is a rare disorder of the kidney tubules, which fail to reabsorb substances such as glucose, phosphate and bicarbonate. It can cause dehydration, weak bones and, in children, poor growth.

For a trained medical person:

Generalised proximal tubular dysfunction, inherited (e.g. cystinosis) or acquired (drugs, myeloma, heavy metals). Notably, aristolochic acid in some herbal products is a recognised cause. Treatment replaces losses and addresses the cause.

In Chinese medicine:

Flaws and Sionneau's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Spleen-kidney deficiency; Kidney deficiency and essence depletion, lower source insufficiency. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: Products containing aristolochic acid (some Fang Ji, Guang Fang Ji, Mu Tong and Ma Dou Ling preparations) can cause this and kidney failure; check that herbs are correctly identified.