Unusual presentation of myxoedema coma in the elderly

Seven patients were found to be suffering from myxoedema coma over a two-year period in this geriatric department. The majority presented with unusual clinical features. Generalized convulsions were particularly common, occuring in five patients. Four patients were previously diagnosed as suffering from myxoedema, but thyroxine therapy had been discontinued. These findings would suggest that this condition is not unusual in the elderly; but it could easily be missed on account of its atypical presentation.