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Abstract
A male patient in his late 30s with a history of Lynch syndrome and colorectal cancer relapse, which recently started chemotherapy, was admitted to the emergency department with acute lower limb weakness that had progressed to all limbs and resulted in complete flaccid paresis with general areflexia. Blood tests showed severe hyperkalaemia, severe acute kidney injury and hyperuricaemia. Ultrasound showed bilateral hydronephrosis due to pelvic mass obstruction. Hyperkalaemia correction measurements were started as well as rasburicase with the assumption of tumour lysis syndrome and postrenal kidney injury. The patient showed a favourable clinical response with complete return of limb movement in the following hours and progressive recovery of renal function in the following days. This case highlights the need for prompt diagnosis and correction of severe hyperkalaemia, and its multiple possible causes, as it can lead to acute flaccid paralysis and a fatal outcome.
- Emergency medicine
- Metabolic disorders
- Neuromuscular disease
- Colon cancer
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Footnotes
Contributors RAR, TA and CJCP were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content. RAR, TA, CJCP and JRG gave final approval of 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.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.