Prolonged paralysis as an unusual presentation of renal tubular acidosis

ABSTRACT

A case of renal tubular acidosis [RTA] who had gradual onset of paralysis of lower extremities and persisted for a long time is presented. His primary workups were mistaken for muscular dystrophy. Eventually, an abdominal ultrasonography revealed small stones in both of the kidneys and his workup for the stones were in favour of distal renal tubular acidosis and advanced rickets with hypokalemia. He had a dramatic response to alkaline therapy. There are many reports of periodic paralysis in RTA but no report of prolonged paralysis is found in the literature