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A patient that changed my practice
Persistent hypokalaemia and intermittent muscle weakness
  1. Monika Rabenstein1,
  2. Angela Abicht2,3,
  3. Anna Brunn4,
  4. Helmar Lehmann1,
  5. Gilbert Wunderlich1,5
  1. 1 Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
  2. 2 Department of Neurology, Friedrich-Baur-Institute, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
  3. 3 Medical Genetics Centre, Munich, Germany
  4. 4 Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
  5. 5 Center for Rare Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
  1. Correspondence to Dr Monika Rabenstein, Neurology, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; monika.rabenstein{at}uk-koeln.de

Abstract

A man in his 20s gave a 9-year history of recurrent muscle pain and weakness, occurring mostly after exercise, and lasting for up to 2 days. There had been one episode of severe rhabdomyolysis after cold exposure. He also had longstanding hypokalaemia, which was key to his correct diagnosis but was not followed. This case highlights the importance of an appropriately methodical investigation of weak hypokalaemic patients, and the relevance of hypokalaemia as a cause of neuromuscular symptoms not related to muscular channelopathies.

  • ION TRANSPORT
  • RENAL MEDICINE

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request. The patient’s clinical data are available on request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2022-003433

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available on reasonable request. The patient’s clinical data are available on request.

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors MR and GW saw the patient in the neuromuscular oupatients’ clinic. MR drafted the manuscript. AA, AB and HL critically revised the manuscript. GW finalised 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 by Jon Walters, Swansea, UK.

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