"Summer hypokalemia" as an initial presentation of cystic fibrosis in a morbidly obese African American adult: case report.

backgroundMost patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) present with respiratory or digestive symptoms. About 3% of patients have electrolyte disturbances at the time of diagnosis, but most of the described cases presenting with this manifestation have been in children. Only 3 adult patients are identified in the literature who first presented with hypokalemia. We describe a morbidly obese African American adult who presented with severe hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis, which eventually led to the diagnosis of CF after multiple hospitalizations over 4 consecutive summers. Besides being the first African American adult with this presentation, he had the highest BMI, lowest serum potassium, highest pH, and highest bicarbonate level. CASE PRESENTATION: In the summer of 2015, a 26 year-old African American man presented to the hospital for generalized weakness. His BMI was 54 kg/M

conclusionWe present an exceedingly rare case of CF in a morbidly obese African American adult male whose only manifestation of CF was hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. Clinicians should keep an open mind to the diagnosis of CF in ethnically diverse populations, even if it seems unlikely at first glance. For "summer hypokalemia", consider cystic fibrosis.