High-dose intravenous hydrocortisone for the treatment of hyperthyroidism: a rare precipitant of thyrotoxicosis periodic paralysis.

High-dose steroids used to treat hyperthyroidism in hospitalized patients may rarely precipitate thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) by inducing hypokalemia and hyperglycemia. TPP should be included in the differential diagnosis for acute flaccid paralysis in hospitalized patients with hyperthyroidism. Since TPP is associated with trans-cellular shifts in potassium instead of total body potassium depletion, conservative repletion of potassium is recommended to avoid rebound hyperkalemia.