RATIONALE Severe hypokalemia can be a potentially life-threatening disorder and is associated with variable degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. PATIENT CONCERNS We report a case of severe hypokalemic paralysis and rhabdomyolysis in a 28-year-old bodybuilder. He was admitted to the emergency room due to progressive paralysis in both lower extremities, which had begun 12 hours earlier. He was ...

Hereditary muscle channelopathies are caused by dominant mutations in the genes encoding for subunits of muscle voltage-gated ion channels. Point mutations on the human skeletal muscle Na+ channel (Nav1.4) give rise to hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, potassium aggravated myotonia, paramyotonia congenita and hypokalemic periodic paralysis type 2. Point mutations on the human skeletal muscle Ca2...

Type 1 renal tubular acidosis (RTA), or distal RTA (dRTA), is a disorder of renal tubular acidification, which is generally asymptomatic but may rarely present as hypokalemic paralysis. Here, we report the case of a young male who presented with sudden onset weakness of all 4 limbs and a 2-month history of swelling of the legs. An investigation revealed hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis, and neph...

A 19-year-old white man with familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis developed evidence of cardiac dysfunction during a episode of flaccid paralysis. This consisted of elevated total creatine phosphokinase (CPK), an increased myocardial fraction of CPK (myocardial band), alteration in the lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme pattern, severe bradycardia, and evidence of left ventricular dysfunction. T...

Mitochondrial disorder (MtD) is usually a multisystem disease due to impaired mitochondrial energy production. Severe hypokalemia resulting in muscle weakness and rhabdomyolysis has not been reported as a phenotypic feature of MtD. Here we describe a 60-year-old male patient who developed myalgias followed by generalized muscle weakness a few days before admission. Symptoms were attributed to s...

An Indian male patient with acute quadriplegia with hypokalemia as a rare initial presentation of thyrotoxicosis is presented in this case report.

Thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis is an uncommon complication of thyrotoxicosis, characterized by attacks of generalized muscular weakness associated with hypokalemia in patients with hyperthyroidism, most frequently with Graves-Basedow disease. Treatment with antithyroid drugs and potassium supplements reversed the symptoms and the episodes of acute muscular weakness did not reappear.

Hypokalemic paralysis (HP) is a very uncommon condition. Few publications are available on the subject, and these are mainly case reports or small series. A patient with HP who experienced a complete recovery is reported. A 62-year-old male Caucasian patient attended the emergency room for progressive strength loss. His clinical history included morbid obesity, high blood pressure (HBP), and dy...

Case report A 16-year old girl presented with rapid onset of progressing muscular weakness, dysphagia, dysphonia and significant wasting. She lost 13 kg during the last year. On examination she was dystrophic (BMI 15,7) and had clinical signs of severe myopathy. Laboratory findings confirmed myopathy (CPK 106,4 ukat/L, ALT 0,96 ukat/l, AST 2,86 ukat/L, myoglobin 1582 ug/L), inflammatory markers...