Article Text
Rare disease
An unexpected cause of proximal myopathy
A 25-year-old man presented with a short history of profound proximal muscle weakness such that he was unable to stand. Laboratory investigations demonstrated hypokalaemia and mildly elevated serum creatine kinase. He reported a history of 8–10 episodes of less severe weakness in the preceding 8 years and his mother reported similar symptoms. The combination of weakness and hypokalaemia with a probable family history suggested the diagnosis of hypokalaemic periodic paralysis. He was treated with intravenous and oral potassium supplementation, and regained full power within 24 h.
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Competing interests None.
Patient consent Obtained.