Fanconi syndrome following honeybee stings

A 32-year-old gentleman was attacked by honey bees about 8 months and immediately afterwards his eyelids, cheeks and pinnae became swollen, red, and tender. However, the patient did not develop any renal or serum sickness symptoms and his physical examination and laboratory investigations were normal. He recovered completely. A week later, while working on his farm, he experienced a sudden loss of muscular tone in all four limbs without losing his consciousness. The medical examination subsequently revealed flaccid quadriparesis associated with a serum potassium of 2.1 mEq/L. He was also found to have hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with normal anion gap and preserved ability to acidify urine to a pH of 5.5. These findings were suggestive of proximal renal tubular acidosis (Fanconi syndrome). Other abnormalities like hypophosphataemia, hypouricemia, renal glucosuria and high urinary excretion of calcium, phosphorus and uric acid further supported the diagnosis of proximal tubular dysfunction. The renal biopsy revealed dense lymphocytic interstitial infiltrate, a feature often seen in Sjogren's syndrome, in which at least 50% of patients fail to acidify urine. In our patient, thorough search for other causes of proximal renal tubular acidosis was negative.