Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report.
Background: Thyroid storm is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized by severe clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis and can be precipitated by several factors. We described a thyroid storm precipitated by a long-term treatment using homeopathic medicine containing iodine. Case presenta...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Babol University of Medical Sciences
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine |
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| Online Access: | http://caspjim.com/article-1-2373-en.html |
| _version_ | 1818689853887348736 |
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| author | Linda Daffini Ilenia Pirola Giovanni Saccà Massimo Salvetti Carlo Cappelli |
| author_facet | Linda Daffini Ilenia Pirola Giovanni Saccà Massimo Salvetti Carlo Cappelli |
| author_sort | Linda Daffini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Thyroid storm is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized by severe clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis and can be precipitated by several factors. We described a thyroid storm precipitated by a long-term treatment using homeopathic medicine containing iodine.
Case presentation: A 55-year-old Italian woman was admitted to our Sub-Intensive Care Unit with the diagnosis of congestive heart failure and thyrotoxicosis. She has been diagnosed with Graves’ disease two years before; she refused conventional therapy and in the preceding six months had been using phytotherapeutic and homeopathic medicine. We found serum and urine iodine levels consistent with severe intoxication by iodine (serum iodine: 42100 mcg/L and urinary iodine: 4223 mcg/L, respectively). After a few hours, the patient went into cardiac arrest. She was subjected to invasive ventilation, dialyzed with continuous veno-venous hemofiltration and treated with vasoactive amines.
Conclusion: The high level of iodemia manifested in our patient - around a thousand times greater than the normal range and itself associated with fatal outcomes - was caused by long-term homeopathic treatment. This long-term treatment has two consequences: first, iodine load-precipitated hyperthyroidism in thyroid storm, and secondly, it prevents us from treating patients with inorganic iodide. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T12:16:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0cb7444babfd4c89a8456d9f2947efb9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2008-6164 2008-6172 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T12:16:43Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Babol University of Medical Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-0cb7444babfd4c89a8456d9f2947efb92022-12-21T21:49:08ZengBabol University of Medical SciencesCaspian Journal of Internal Medicine2008-61642008-61722021-07-0112Supplement 2371375Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report.Linda Daffini0Ilenia Pirola1Giovanni Saccà2Massimo Salvetti3Carlo Cappelli4 Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, SSD Medicina ad indirizzo Endocrino-Metabolico, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, SSD Medicina ad indirizzo Endocrino-Metabolico, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences University of Brescia-Spedali Civili di Brescia, Italy Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences University of Brescia-Spedali Civili di Brescia, Italy Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, SSD Medicina ad indirizzo Endocrino-Metabolico, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia Background: Thyroid storm is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized by severe clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis and can be precipitated by several factors. We described a thyroid storm precipitated by a long-term treatment using homeopathic medicine containing iodine. Case presentation: A 55-year-old Italian woman was admitted to our Sub-Intensive Care Unit with the diagnosis of congestive heart failure and thyrotoxicosis. She has been diagnosed with Graves’ disease two years before; she refused conventional therapy and in the preceding six months had been using phytotherapeutic and homeopathic medicine. We found serum and urine iodine levels consistent with severe intoxication by iodine (serum iodine: 42100 mcg/L and urinary iodine: 4223 mcg/L, respectively). After a few hours, the patient went into cardiac arrest. She was subjected to invasive ventilation, dialyzed with continuous veno-venous hemofiltration and treated with vasoactive amines. Conclusion: The high level of iodemia manifested in our patient - around a thousand times greater than the normal range and itself associated with fatal outcomes - was caused by long-term homeopathic treatment. This long-term treatment has two consequences: first, iodine load-precipitated hyperthyroidism in thyroid storm, and secondly, it prevents us from treating patients with inorganic iodide.http://caspjim.com/article-1-2373-en.htmlthyroid stormhyperthyroidismhomeopathic treatment |
| spellingShingle | Linda Daffini Ilenia Pirola Giovanni Saccà Massimo Salvetti Carlo Cappelli Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report. Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine thyroid storm hyperthyroidism homeopathic treatment |
| title | Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report. |
| title_full | Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report. |
| title_fullStr | Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report. |
| title_short | Graves\' disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm: a case report. |
| title_sort | graves disease treated by complementary medicine leading to thyroid storm a case report |
| topic | thyroid storm hyperthyroidism homeopathic treatment |
| url | http://caspjim.com/article-1-2373-en.html |
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