Notable in cases vs controls was a higher frequency of biochemical abnormalities, which included severe hypokalemia (potassium level <2.5 mEq/L [to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 1]) in 18 of 81 (22%) vs 0%; hypoalbuminemia (albumin level <3.4 g/dL [to convert to grams per liter, multiply by 10]) in 66 of 88 (75%) vs 4 of 22 (18%), and biochemical indicators of hypothyroidism (free thyroxine level <0.70 ng/dL [to convert to picomoles per liter, multiply by 12.871] or thyrotropin level >4.2 mU/L) in 18 of 74 (24%) vs 1 of 21 (5%) children. The gene discussed is ALB; the disease is hypothyroidism.