Myxedema coma is state of decompensated hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone.Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide but it can be caused by other causes such as several conditions of the thyroid gland or, less commonly, the pituitary gland or...

. The patient may have lab values identical to a "normal" hypothyroid state, but a stressful event (infections, MI, CVA, drugs, etc.) precipitates the myxedema coma state. Primary symptoms of myxedema coma are altered mental status and hypothermia. Hypoglycemia, hypotension, hyponatremia, bradycardia, and hypoventilation may also occur. Myxedema

Myxedema

Myxedema describes a specific form of cutaneous and dermal edema secondary to increased deposition of connective tissue components in subcutaneous tissue as seen in various forms of hypothyroidism and Graves' disease. It is more common in women than in men...

, although included in the name, is not necessarily seen in myxedema coma.

References

Treatment is with High doses of T4 and T3 (300 mcg), corticosteroids, warm blankets and Fluids.

External links

• Myxedema coma or crisis - eMedicine
  EMedicine
  eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely, two medical doctors. The website is searchable by keyword and consists of approximately 6,800 articles, each of which is associated with one of 62 clinical subspecialty textbooks...