Renal hypokalemic paralysis: A rare manifestation of Sjogren′s syndrome

Abstract

Sjögren′s syndrome (SS) is typically associated with a lymphocytic, and plasmacytic infiltrate in the salivary, parotid, and lacrimal glands, leading to a sicca syndrome. This immune process can also affect nonexocrine organs, including the kidneys, producing an interstitial nephritis and defects in tubular function. Renal tubular acidosis develops in a large population of patients with SS, but most of the subjects are asymptomatic. In rare cases, hypokalemic paralysis becomes the primary presenting symptom. In this article, we report such a patient with acute paresis of skeletal muscles later diagnosed to be SS.

Keywords

• hypokalemia
• muscle paralysis
• renal tubular acidosis
• sjögren′s syndrome