Renal Tubular Dysfunction Presenting as Recurrent Hypokalemic Periodic Quadriparesis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
January 2014
in “
Indian Journal of Nephrology
”
Studysummary This case report describes a 30-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus who was successfully treated for recurrent hypokalemic periodic quadriparesis after being diagnosed with distal tubular acidosis. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
A 30-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with recurrent hypokalemic periodic quadriparesis and symptoms including joint pain, oral ulcers, photosensitivity, and hair loss. She was diagnosed with distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) and successfully treated with oral potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, hydroxychloroquine, and a short course of steroids. This case highlighted the importance of assessing tubular dysfunction in SLE patients, as renal involvement in SLE is typically glomerulonephritis, making isolated tubular dysfunction a rare but significant finding.
