This life-threatening condition requires immediate medical attention
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Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that typically causes hyperthyroidism, in which the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone and becomes overactive. In 1 percent to 2 percent of cases, the thyroid produces an extreme amount of the key hormones involved in thyroid function—triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). This can cause your heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature to become uncontrollably high—what's known as a thyroid storm. This is dangerous and potentially life-threatening.
The primary risk factor for thyroid storm is having untreated Graves' disease and/or hyperthyroidism. Additionally, women are at greater risk than men, and seniors are more at risk than younger people with Graves'/hyperthyroidism.
Even when the Graves' disease is identified and being treated, there are a number of other factors that raise your risk of thyroid storm:
Symptoms of thyroid storm are usually quite extreme and include:
Whenever thyroid storm is suspected, you must go to the emergency room immediately. Thyroid storm requires immediate treatment, as it is life-threatening and can develop and worsen quickly.
DiagnosisPhysicians have developed a scoring system that helps them quickly assess symptoms and make a presumptive diagnosis of thyroid storm, so they can rapidly begin treatment. The system involves measuring temperature, heart rate, gastrointestinal symptoms, neurological symptoms, and noting whether the patient has had a previous thyroid storm.
When treating thyroid storm, doctors often use the "five Bs":
Supportive treatment may also include cooling to help reduce body temperature, fluids to combat dehydration, and treatment of any other infections.
Typically, if the treatments are going to work, the improvement will be seen within 24 to 72 hours.
The mortality rate in people whose thyroid storm goes untreated is as high as 75 percent. When treated, mortality goes down to 20 percent to 30 percent.
When thyroid storm does not respond to these approaches, plasmapheresis, a blood filtering treatment, is sometimes done to remove thyroid hormone from the bloodstream. Only a small percentage of the hormone can be removed during each session, so it needs to be performed several times.
In rare cases, the thyroid is surgically removed, but physicians have to be particularly careful, as the surgery can precipitate a worsening of thyroid storm if hormone levels are already high.
All About How to Take Your Thyroid MedicationWhile thyroid storm is rare, it is life-threatening. Always stay up to date on annual physical exams; your doctor will palpate your thyroid to check if it's enlarged (a sign of hyperthyroidism) and test levels of thyroid hormones in your blood as part of a routine check-up. If you have been diagnosed with Graves' disease or hyperthyroidism, always take your medication and have your thyroid levels tested regularly according to your doctor's instructions.
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