Hypokalaemic thyrotoxic periodic paralysis: case report and review of an Oriental syndrome.

Presentations of acute systemic weakness are rare and appear dramatic and frightening to both patients and physicians. Aetiologies are multifactorial and diverse. Morbidity and mortality are associated with the unrecognized disease. One of the underlying disorders is hypokalaemic thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (HTPP), an uncommon disorder. HTPP is characterized by periodic occurrences of muscle weakness during attacks of hyperthyroidism and appears predominantly in Orientals. This article describes a patient of Chinese origin with hyperthyroidism and attacks of paralysis and considers several problems: a lack of familiarity with the syndrome, increasing numbers of patients with this disease in European hospitals as a result of migration of populations, and the importance of patient compliance in therapeutic management. Finally, a review of the literature concerning presentation, differential diagnosis, pathophysiology, and therapeutic management is provided.