Surviving the storm: two cases of thyroid storm successfully treated with plasmapheresis.

Abstract

Thyroid storm is a rare, but critical, illness that can lead to multiorgan failure and carries a high death rate. The following case series describes two adult men with Graves' disease who presented in thyroid storm and either failed or could not tolerate conventional medical management. However, both patients responded well to plasmapheresis, which resulted in clinical and biochemical stabilisation of their disease processes. The treatment option of plasmapheresis should be considered as a stabilising measure, especially when patients have failed or cannot tolerate conventional therapy. Plasmapheresis leads to amelioration of symptoms and a significant decline in thyroid hormone levels, providing a window to treat definitively with thyroidectomy.

• Authors: Aubrey Carhill, Absalon Gutierrez, Ronak Lakhia, Ramaswami Nalini
• Journal: BMJ case reports (BMJ Case Rep) Vol. 2012 (Oct 19 2012) ISSN: 1757-790X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23087271 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Thyroid Hormones

Topics

• Adult
• Graves Disease (blood, complications, surgery, therapy)
• Humans
• Male
• Plasmapheresis
• Thyroid Crisis (blood, etiology, therapy)
• Thyroid Hormones (blood)
• Thyroidectomy