Fulminant Neurologic Manifestation of Sjogren’s Syndrome: A Case Report

Abstract

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of exocrine glands by lymphocytic infiltration. Children and teenagers are less commonly affected. The initial symptoms of SS in teenagers might vary, depending on whether parotitis or other systemic organ involvement is present. Glandular involvement with the clinical hallmarks of dry eyes and dry mouth is common. Our case report is about a young woman who was admitted with acute flaccid paralysis and severe respiratory distress with extremely low serum potassium; further investigation revealed distal renal tubular acidosis. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with primary SS with high levels of SS-a/SS-b antibodies and a positive Schirmer's test. Our case demonstrates that hypokalemic paralysis can be a manifestation of SS, even though it is a rare cause.