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CASE REPORT
Dengue fever presenting as quadriparesis due to hypokalaemia: a rare presentation
  1. Syed Muhammad Zubair,
  2. Syed Ahsan Ali and
  3. Saira Furqan
  1. Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
  1. Correspondence to Dr Syed Ahsan Ali, syed.ahsan{at}aku.edu

Abstract

Dengue is one of the leading causes of arthropod borne viral haemorrhagic fever. Majority of the times, it clinically manifests as fever, arthralgia and rash; however, we present a case of a young man who presented with progressively increasing weakness of all four limbs. Initial investigations showed low potassium, hence he was managed as hypokalaemic periodic paralysis. With initial history of fever and low platelets, dengue was suspected. Dengue antibody was checked which came out to be positive. Potassium was replaced which led to improvement in power of his limbs. He was discharged in a stable condition with a diagnosis of dengue with hypokalaemic quadriparesis.

  • tropical medicine (infectious disease)
  • fluid electrolyte and acid-base disturbances

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Footnotes

  • Contributors SMZ: conceived the idea, manuscript writing and literature review. SAA: reviewed and edited the manuscript. SF: reviewed and edited the manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Patient consent for publication Obtained.