My potassium level is never outside of the normal level yet the doctor says I have Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. Why does she call it that?
The term ‘hyperkalemic’ is somewhat confusing, because in most patients the level of potassium in the blood does not rise above normal during attacks. ‘Hyperkalemic’ refers to the fact that attacks may be triggered by eating potassium-rich foods or by giving the patient potassium. So-called ‘normokalemia’ has now been genetically identified as one of the sodium-channel disorders. The general opinion is that Normokalemic PP is a variant of Hyperkalemic PP.
