The Syndrome of Periodic Paralysis

CLASSICALLY described, periodic paralysis is a hereditary disease which begins during the second decade of life and is characterized by recurrent attacks of flaccid paralysis associated with low levels of serum potassium. The case reported here is added to the literature because it presents some unusual features both clinically and with reference to laboratory data. It will be shown that the findings in this case represent merely the “final common pathway” for a wide-spread metabolic disorder, and that periodic paralysis should be considered a symptom-complex rather than a clearly defined disease entity.