A Case of 31 WKS Primi with Acute Hypertensive Left Heart Failure with Severe Pre- Eclampsia Secondary to Graves’ Disease

Abstract

Graves’ disease, a well-known cause of hyperthyroidism, is an autoimmune disease with multi-system involvement. More prevalent among young women, it appears as an uncommon cardiovascular complication during pregnancy, posing a diagnostic challenge, largely owing to difficulty in detecting the complication, because of a low index of suspicion of Graves’ disease presenting during pregnancy. Globally, cardiovascular disease is an important factor for pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality. Here, we report a case of 24 years old primi with Graves’ disease detected for the first time in pregnancy presenting with acute hypertensive left heart failure and severe pre-eclampsia. She was found to have abnormal thyroid function tests compatible with the diagnosis of Graves’ disease. Emphasis is placed on the spectrum of clinical presentations of Graves’ disease, and the importance of considering this thyroid disorder as a possible aetiological factor for such a presentation in pregnancy.