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Presentations and Outcomes of Thyroid Storm
Muhammad Shahid1, Zareen Kiran1, Aqiba Sarfraz2
1National Institute of Diabetes & Endocrinology (NIDE), Dow University of Health Sciences (Ojha Campus) Karachi, Pakistan.
Insights
Thyroid storm patients in Karachi had a high mortality rate of 87.5%. Infections were the most frequent comorbidity, highlighting the critical nature of this endocrine emergency.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Internal Medicine
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Thyroid storm is a life-threatening endocrine emergency.
- Limited data exists on thyroid storm characteristics and outcomes in Pakistan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical features and outcomes of thyroid storm patients.
- To identify factors associated with mortality in thyroid storm.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of thyroid storm patients (December 2018 - May 2019).
- Inclusion criteria: Age 18-70 years, fulfilling Burch-Wartofsky criteria.
- Data collected: Demographics, clinical presentation, comorbidities, laboratory findings.
Main Results:
- Eight patients were included; 62.5% were female, mean age 43 years.
- Infections were the most common comorbidity (62.5%), followed by cardiovascular (37.5%) and gastrointestinal (25%) diseases.
- In-hospital mortality rate was 87.5% (7 out of 8 patients).
Conclusions:
- Thyroid storm in Karachi is associated with extremely high mortality.
- Infections are a significant precipitating factor.
- Urgent and aggressive management is crucial for improving outcomes.
Abstract:
The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics and outcome of thyroid storm patients presenting at two tertiary care centres of Karachi, i.e. at Dow University of Health Sciences; and Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from December 2018 to May 2019. All patients between 18-70 years of age, who were admitted with thyroid storm and fulfilled the Burch- Wartofsky criteria, were inducted. Demographics including age, gender, clinical presentations, systemic symptoms, clinical examination of the thyroid and laboratory findings were reviewed from the file records to identify factors associated with mortality using the available data. Overall, five (62.5%) out of eight patients were female. The mean age was 43 ±1.67 years. Infections were the most common comorbid condition followed by cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. The in-hospital mortality rate was 87.5% (n=07).
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