Abstract
We present a 10-year-old girl who presented to our emergency services with difficulty in breathing of 2-days duration and progressive weakness of a month’s duration. In a previous admission elsewhere, she had not been detected to have hyperthyroidism or electrolyte abnormalities. On admission, the child was in hypercapnic respiratory failure with tachycardia and hepatomegaly. A small goiter as well as signs of thyrotoxicosis were present. Laboratory investigations showed anemia, mildly elevated liver enzymes and serum potassium of 4.8mEq/L. Despite intubation and ventilation and other supportive management including propranolol, the patient could not be saved. Post-mortem biopsy of the thyroid showed diffuse hyperplasia of the follicles and muscles showed evidence of thyroid myopathy.
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Satam, N., More, V., Shanbag, P. et al. Fatal thyrotoxic periodic paralysis with normokalemia. Indian J Pediatr 74, 1041–1043 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-007-0194-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-007-0194-8