Why the study?
Are there RBC membrane abnormalities in patients with familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis?
Are there RBC membrane abnormalities in patients with familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis?
The study found no evidence of RBC membrane abnormalities in familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis, suggesting the defect does not involve erythrocytes.
Single case does not support RBC membrane defects in hypokalemic periodic paralysis; leaves open the primary cellular defect for targeted investigation.
A study of RBC membrane functions was performed in four patients suffering from familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis who had permanent muscular weakness. Electrophoretograms of membrane proteins, cell deformability, calcium-promoted potassium efflux, calcium-ATPase activity, and endogeneous phosphorylation of membrane proteins were all within the normal range. These results are compared with similar studies performed in myotonic and Duchenne-type dystrophies, in which abnormalities in the RBC membrane have been described. The results do not support the theory of RBC involvement in hypokalemic periodic paralysis. However, this does not imply that the muscle cell membrane is not involved in the underlying pathological processes in this disorder.
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Buruma et al. (1978) studied this question.
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