Hypothermic Myxoedema Coma

Respiratory acidosis in hypothermic myxoedema coma.

Hypothermic Myxoedema

The photomotogram (P.M.G.) of the Achilles tendon reflex was studied in 26 patients with hypothermia (rectal temperature 333°C or less), 10 of whom also had myxoedema (serum protein bound iodine 2-8 Fg/100 ml or less). No reflex could be elicited in eight (31%) ofthese patients, including three ofthose with myxoedema. Hypothermia increases both the contraction and the relaxation times of the re...

Myxoedema coma presenting in status epilepticus.

A 71-year-old woman with myxoedema coma presenting in status epilepticus is reported. Although this complication of myxoedema coma is considered to be fatal the patient described responded dramatically to treatment and remains in good health.

Predictors of outcome in myxoedema coma

Myxoedema coma is a rare and life-threatening illness the outcome of which has not been robustly studied in large numbers, partly due to its low incidence. Dutta and colleagues have explored outcome predictors in a developing country where access to thyroid function tests is more limited than in the Western world. Cardiovascular instability, reduced consciousness, persistent hypothermia, and se...

Hypothyroidism in the elderly: heralding myxoedema coma

Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry July/August 2016 www.progressnp.com 12 Thyroid disorders in the elderly population can present challenges to the t rea t ing team, both in terms of diagnosis and management. In iodinereplete communities, the prevalence of spontaneous hypo thyroidism is between 1 and 2%; it is more common in older women and is 10 times more common in women than in men.1 Numer...