Idiopathic periodic hypothermia and bizarre behaviour in the presence of occult syringomyelia.

Overt psychological, neurological and haematological abnormalities were present in a 35 year old Jamaican female diagnosed as having idiopathic periodic hypothermia. Although symptoms and signs were ameliorated by warming, no long term satisfactory therapeutic measure was identified. Despite extensive clinical and subsequently histological investigation no cause for the hypothermia was found although she had clinically unsuspected cervical syringomyelia.