Sepsis and thyroid storm in a patient with methimazole-induced agranulocytosis

Vaishnavi Divya Nagarajan1, Alba Morales2, Lawtanya Pleasant2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA divya.nagaraj@uky.edu.

BMJ Case Reports
|July 9, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Thyroid storm, a severe hyperthyroidism complication, rarely occurs. This case highlights plasmapheresis as a life-saving treatment for paediatric thyroid storm when standard therapies are contraindicated due to septic shock and agranulocytosis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Paediatric hyperthyroidism is predominantly caused by Graves' disease.
  • Thyroid storm, a rare but life-threatening complication of severe thyrotoxicosis, affects 1%-2% of hyperthyroid patients.
  • Standard management involves antithyroid medications and beta-blockers.

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