CASE REPORTS
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Thyroid storm after pediatric levothyroxine ingestion.

Pediatrics 2010 August
A 2-year-old girl was found with an empty bottle of levothyroxine and blue coloring around her mouth. Forty tablets of 150-microg levothyroxine tablets were missing. Her 6-hour postingestion total thyroxine (T4) level was 68.1 microg/dL (normal range: 5-12 microg/dL), and her total triiodothyronine (T3) level was 472 ng/dL (normal range: 40-130 ng/dL). Serum levels of thyrotropin, T3, and T4 were then checked on days 3, 5, 7, and 10. On postingestion day 5, the child presented for follow-up with hyperthermia, vomiting, irritability, and increased lethargy. She was referred to the emergency department, where a heart rate of 220 beats per minute, a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg, and a temperature of 101 degrees F were recorded. She also had multiple episodes of diarrhea. The patient was treated with oral propranolol (0.8 mg/kg) every 6 hours, intravenous normal saline, and ibuprofen; all her vital signs improved. Serial T3, T4, and thyrotropin serum levels were measured. Her total T3 levels were >800, 798, 445, 446, and 98 ng/dL on days 3, 5, 6, 9, and 13, respectively. Total T4 measurement was repeated on day 13, and the concentration was found to be 11.9 microg/dL. Her thyrotropin levels remained undetectable throughout the course of treatment. The patient was discharged from the hospital after a 4-day PICU stay, in good condition, on oral propranolol 0.8 mg/kg every 8 hours. Propranolol administration was discontinued 8 days after initiation with no further tachycardia, hypertension, or hyperthermia. The child tolerated the recommended regimen.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app