myxedema/fever

Three male patients (aged 41, 71 and 65 years) with untreated severe hypothyroidism of long duration were in a state of coma. This had been preceded by respiratory symptoms accompanied by hypoxemia and hypercapnea. There were also various chest radiographic findings. All the patients were treated

Myxedema coma or hypothyroid crisis is an endocrine emergency and needs ICU management. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is another medical emergency which needs high degree of clinical suspicion else mortality can be high. There is a paradox in co existence of myxedema coma and NMS. While one

Thyroid emergencies are rare life-threatening endocrine conditions resulting from either decompensated thyrotoxicosis (thyroid storm) or severe thyroid hormone deficiency (myxedema coma). Both conditions develop out of a long-standing undiagnosed or untreated hyper- or hypothyroidism, respectively,

Ogilvie's syndrome [acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ACPO)] presents as massive colonic dilatation without a mechanical cause, usually in critically ill patients due to imbalanced sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. The initial therapy remains conservative with supportive measures (correction

In recent years it has become possible by means of a radioimmunoassay to measure Digoxin concentration in the serum of digitalized patients. With this method it could be shown that the resorption of Digoxin is decreased by partial resection of the samll intestines, by malabsorption syndromes, after

Thyroid storm is a rapid decompensation of severe hyperthyroidism which can best be described by the three criteria of hyperthermia, tachycardia and altered mental state with severe agitation. There has to be a precipitating factor such as infection, iodine contamination, surgery or even I-131