Osteoporosis and Periodic Paralysis

 Osteoporosis and Periodic Paralysis

Periodic Paralysis is a 4th Class Mineral Metabolic Disorder.

"In general, the genetic metabolic disorders are caused by genetic defects that result in missing or improperly constructed enzymes necessary for some step in the metabolic process of the cell.

The three largest classes of metabolic disorders are:

Glycogen storage diseases -- disorders affecting carbohydrate metabolism
Fatty oxidation disorders -- disorders affecting the metabolism of fat components
Mitochondrial disorders -- disorders affecting the mitochondria which are the central "powerhouses" of the cells.

**A fourth class, the channelopathies (some of which cause periodic paralysis and/or malignant hyperthermia) could be considered to be metabolic disorders as well, though they are not always classified as such. These disorders affect the ion channels in the cell and organelle membranes, resulting in improper or inefficient transfer of ions through the membranes." **

https://sites.google.com/site/metaboliccare/metabolicdisorder

http://www.encognitive.com/node/1181

https://ufhealth.org/mineral-metabolism-disorders

How does this relate to osteoporosis?

Periodic Paralysis is a mineral metabolic disorder, due to that, chronic metabolic acidosis can develop in many of us with Periodic Paralysis. As such, it can affect our bones.

"Metabolic acidosis may effect changes in bone by directly inducing dissolution of bone,..."

"...As a consequence, in some patients with normal renal function, osteoporosis and osteomalacia have been reported that are linked in part to metabolic acidosis. ..."

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7614335/

”Metabolic acidosis has been shown to lead to calcium loss from bone (7, 8), to inhibit osteoblast function and stimulate osteoclast activity (9, 10), and to impair bone mineralization (11).”

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/98/1/207/2823184

“Metabolic acidosis increases urine calcium excretion without an increase in intestinal calcium absorption, resulting in a net loss of bone mineral.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14629607/#:~:text=Metabolic%20acidosis%20increases%20urine%20calcium,net%20loss%20of%20bone%20mineral.

 

 ”When your electrolyte levels are out of balance (Low)…, you experience an acid/base (pH) imbalance. Specifically, your pH levels decrease, creating metabolic acidosis. Symptoms include confusion, fatigue, headache and increased heart rate. If your electrolyte levels are out of control (High)…, your pH levels increase, causing metabolic alkalosis...”

https://www.multicare.org/services-and-departments/nephrology/conditions-we-treat/electrolyte/#:~:text=When%20your%20electrolyte%20levels%20are,headache%20and%20increased%20heart%20rate.

Here is one study that touches on the relationship between potassium levels and osteoporosis (from Korea):

”The western diet including high meats and cereal grains produces a low-grade metabolic acidosis [11]. The continual release of alkaline salts from bone for acid-base balance would cause bone loss and osteoporosis [13]. Fruit and vegetable intake could balance this excess acidity by providing alkaline salts of potassium [14]. Thus, the alkaline potassium salt is thought to prevent bone resorption for pH homeostasis [15]. In addition, increasing potassium intake increases urinary retention, reducing loss of calcium and thus creating a more positive calcium balance and inhibiting bone resorption [16,17]. The potassium bicarbonate, but not sodium bicarbonate, reduced urinary calcium excretion in healthy men [18], and the potassium citrate reduced urinary calcium excretion in men with uric acid nephrolithiasis [19]. It suggests that the positive effect of potassium could be through either suppressing calcium resorption or bone mineral dissolution or both [20].”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6997142/

 

If people with Periodic Paralysis, experience low potassium for long periods of time, without a diagnosis or being wrongly diagnosed or mistreated, osteoporosis can develop. Thus it can be a complication related to Periodic Paralysis.