Myxoedema as a Cause of Death

Electroencephalogram in Myxoedema Coma

“…Reports of recovery have been remarkably few. Apart from the case of Malden (1955) only two other survivals have been described; one a very early case which recovered spontaneously in 24 hours (Brotmacher and Coghill, 1953), the other a condition of deep coma in a woman of 83 who recovered with thyroid extract, but in whom the temperature was not noted (Martin and Whittle, 1953). That it is an extremely dangerous condition, however, is evident, and Summers (1953) thought that the changes produced by extremely low body temperatures are apparently irreversible or that the body reaches a state in which it can no longer respond to thyroxine.…”