Renal Tubular Acidosis Presenting As Severe Hypokalemia With Respiratory Paralysis: Report Of Two Cases

Abstract

Hypokalemia is usually asymptomatic and goes undetected. Or it may manifest as muscular weakness, fatigue, abdominal distension. Severe hypokalemia may lead to cardiac arrhythmias and even death. However, respiratory paralysis leading to hypoventilation and respiratory failure is uncommon and very rarely reported in the literature. We report two patients of hypokalemia with quadriplegia who developed respiratory paralysis and cyanosis, requiring ventilatory support. Both were diagnosed as cases of renal tubular acidosis.