Sandbox spinalcord
Risk factors
Common risk factors that can trigger myxedema coma in patients with hypothyroidism include:
- Hypothermia
- CVA
- CHF
- Infections ( pneumonia, influenza, UTI, sepsis)
- Drugs ( Anesthestics, narcotics, amidirone, Lithium carbonate) 6486153
- GI bleeding
- Metabolic disturbances(Hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, acidosis, hypercalcemia, hypoxemia, hypercapneia)
History
- History of antecedent thyroid disease
- History of radioiodine therapy or thyroidectomy
- Discontinuation of medications.
Historical Perspective
- In 874, Gull was the first physician to describe hypothyroidism under the name myxedema due to its characteristics of swollen skin and its mucin content.
- In 1883, Semon was the first to establish a relationship between patients undergoing thyroidectomy and later developing symptoms of myxedema.
- In 1888, Clinical Society of London presented a paper describing that extreme loss of thyroid harmone can lead to cretinism and myxedema.
- In 1891, Murray was the first physician to discover cure for myxedema by using hypodermic injections of sheep thyroid extract.