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Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Integrating Ultrasound Imaging with Biochemical Markers for Thyroid Disease Diagnosis
Published on: February 9, 2024
Supraventricular Tachycardia: An Atypical Presentation of Thyroid Storm
Christopher P Austin1, Mihir Odak1, Steven Douedi1
1Internal Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, USA.
Abstract:
Thyroid storm (or thyrotoxic crisis) is commonly defined as a life-threatening condition caused by the exaggeration of the clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis. Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is an atypical precipitating symptom of thyrotoxicosis that clinicians should be aware of. An empirically derived scoring system known as the Burch-Wartofsky Point Scale (BWPS) has been used by clinicians since the early 1990s. The BWPS considers an array of precipitating factors and the severity of symptoms of multiple organ decompensation. In recent years, there has been an increasing correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and thyroid pathologies. We present a case of an unresponsive elderly male with a recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection presenting with SVT and a BWPS score of 45, highly indicative of a thyroid storm.
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