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Myxedema psychosis is a relatively uncommon consequence of hypothyroidism, such as in Hashimoto's thyroiditis or in patients who have had the thyroid surgically removed and are not taking thyroxine. A chronically under-active thyroid can lead to slowly progressive dementia , delirium , and in extreme cases to hallucinations , coma , or ...
The incidence of myxedema coma has been reported to be 0.22 per 1,000,000 per year but the data is limited and especially lacking in countries outside the western world and countries along the equator. Myxedema coma is most common in people 60 years old and older and is most common in the winter months when hypothermia is more common. [1] [2] [3]
It has been shown that the prevalence of positive tests for thyroid antibodies increases with age, "with a frequency as high as 33 percent in women 70 years old or older." [ 27 ] Hashimoto's thyroiditis can occur at any age, including children, [ 119 ] but more commonly appears in middle age , particularly for men. [ 123 ]
In older patients, emotional instability may be less evident, or depression may occur, and the symptoms and signs are manifestly circulatory. In many, the thyroid is not readily palpable. [4] Symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath on exertion, and edema may predominate. Older patients also tend to have more weight loss and less ...
Myxedema was first treated successfully in 1891 when George Redmayne Murray diagnosed a 46-year-old woman with the disease. He prescribed an extract from sheep thyroid. The patient improved significantly within a few weeks and lived another 28 years while taking the sheep thyroid extract. [12]
Hypothyroidism is more common in women than in men. [3] People over the age of 60 are more commonly affected. [3] Dogs are also known to develop hypothyroidism, as are cats and horses, albeit more rarely. [13] The word hypothyroidism is from Greek hypo-'reduced', thyreos 'shield', and eidos 'form', where the two latter parts refer to the ...
In December of 2023, researchers at Case Western University published results from a nationwide observational study involving over one million patients with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed ...
Certain medications can have the unintended side effect of affecting thyroid function. While some medications can lead to significant hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism and those at risk will need to be carefully monitored, some medications may affect thyroid hormone lab tests without causing any symptoms or clinical changes, and may not require treatment.