Renal tubular acidosis type 1 (RTA-1) is a disorder where kidneys are unable to acidify urine, which ultimately results in normal anion gap metabolic acidosis. Its initial presentations and subsequent clinical manifestations can vary depending on the underlying cause and severity of the disease. We report a case of a 26-year-old female with a recent history of complicated pregnancy. She presented to a tertiary care hospital with quadriplegia and shortness of breath and required ventilator support. The extensive workup revealed that the patient had RTA-1 in association with Sjögren's syndrome. There are only a few cases of RTA-1 reported where the diagnosis was made during the pregnancy. By reporting this case of RTA-1 with rare initial clinical presentation and a recent complicated pregnancy, we propose that further research studies should be carried out in this area to explore a possible statistically significant association between pregnancy (and its complications) and RTA-1 exacerbation.
Keywords: distal renal tubular acidosis; peripheral muscle weakness; pregnancy; respiratory muscle weakness; sjögren’s syndrome.
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