Familial hyperkalemic periodic paralysis caused by a de novo mutation in the sodium channel gene SCN4A

Familial hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) is an autosomal-dominant channelopathy characterized by transient and recurrent episodes of paralysis with concomitant hyperkalemia. Mutations in the skeletal muscle voltage-gated sodium channel gene $SCN4A$ have been reported to be responsible for this disease. Here, we report the case of a 16-year-old girl with HYPP whose mutational analysis revealed a heterozygous c.2111C>T substitution in the $SCN4A$ gene leading to a Thr704Met mutation in the protein sequence. The parents were clinically unaffected and did not have a mutation in the $SCN4A$ gene. A $de$ $novo$ $SCN4A$ mutation for familial HYPP has not previously been reported. The patient did not respond to acetazolamide, but showed a marked improvement in paralytic symptoms upon treatment with hydrochlorothiazide. The findings in this case indicate that a $de$ $novo$ mutation needs to be considered when an isolated family member is found to have a HYPP phenotype.