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DOI: 10.1177/0883073807307095 Hypokalemic Sensory OverstimulationSimulConsult, Inc, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, jcn{at}simulconsult.com
Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Dentistry, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Neurology Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts This report describes 2 generations of a family with symptoms of sensory overstimulation that exhibit a potassium sensitivity similar to that seen in hypokalemic periodic paralysis. The sensory overstimulation is characterized by a subjective experience of sensory overload and a relative resistance to lidocaine local anesthesia. The sensory overload is treatable with oral potassium gluconate, with onset of the therapeutic effect in ~20 minutes. The effect of potassium is reminiscent of its effect in the channelopathies underlying hypokalemic periodic paralysis, and the resistance to lidocaine applied peripherally suggests a peripheral sensory localization to the abnormality. The phenotype overlaps with that of attention deficit disorder, raising the possibility of subtypes of attention deficit disorder that have a peripheral sensory cause and novel forms of therapy.
Key Words: attention deficit disorder sodium channel hypokalemic periodic paralysis
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