Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background

Myxedema coma is an extremely rare but fatal endocrine emergency that requires urgent recognition and treatment. We describe a case of severe hypothermia that rapidly deteriorated to cardiac arrest that was attributed to myxedema coma.

Case Presentation

A 52-year-old man without a history of hypothyroidism was transferred to our emergency department due to coma and profound hypothermia. The patient developed cardiac arrest immediately after hospital arrival but return of spontaneous circulation was achieved shortly after resuscitation. The patient was noted to have generalized, nonpitting edema, dry skin, severe respiratory acidosis, hyponatremia, and elevated creatinine kinase, which was indicative of hypothyroidism. Myxedema coma was confirmed by a thyroid profile. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous levothyroxine and glucocorticoid.

Conclusion

Although myxedema coma is a rare cause of severe hypothermia, emergency physicians should be familiar with its clinical features and management.

Details

Title
Successfully treated case of severe hypothermia secondary to myxedema coma
Author
Yamamoto, Hirotsugu 1 ; Hongo, Takashi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nojima, Tsuyoshi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Obara, Takafumi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kosaki, Yoshinori 1 ; Ageta, Kohei 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tsukahara, Kohei 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Yumoto, Tetsuya 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nakao, Atsunori 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Naito, Hiromichi 1 

 Department of Emergency, Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan 
Section
Case Report
Publication year
2023
Publication date
Jan/Dec 2023
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
e-ISSN
20528817
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2906566155
Copyright
© 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.