• Adrian-Gabriel Florescu, Evelina-Ioana Galeș, Sabina Adriana Frunză, and Camelia Cristina Diaconu.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, 105402 Bucharest, Romania.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Oct 14; 60 (10).

AbstractHypokalemia is a common laboratory finding in hospitalized patients, typically resulting from insufficient potassium intake, renal or gastrointestinal losses, or intracellular shifts. While the underlying cause is often easily identifiable, certain cases present diagnostic challenges, and if left unrecognized, the consequences can be life-threatening. We report a rare and atypical case of severe symptomatic hypokalemia as the initial presentation of newly diagnosed Graves' disease. The condition was caused by thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, a rare but serious complication of thyrotoxicosis, predominantly seen in East Asian populations. This disorder is characterized by episodes of acute, reversible muscle weakness associated with transient hypokalemia, which increases the risk of falls and traumatic injuries. The prompt identification of the etiology in such cases is critical for preventing recurrence and avoiding potentially fatal complications.

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