Case Report: Pediatric Thyroid Storm Presenting to the Emergency Department with Afebrile Seizure.

Abstract

Seizures are a common presenting complaint and account for approximately 1% of total emergency department (ED) visits. Seizures are especially common in children less than fiveyears old as they have a lower seizure threshold as compared to adults. One potentially dangerous etiology that is far less common, especially in children, is thyroid storm, the extreme manifestation of hyperthyroidism. We describe the case of a 3-year-old girl who presented to the ED with an afebrile seizure but was found to be in thyroid storm. This case should serve as a reminder for emergency physicians to consider thyroid disease when evaluating patients presenting with seizures. Although most pediatric seizures are self-limited and frequently benign, it is imperative that the emergency physician evaluate for and rule out any potentially associated dangerous conditions such as thyroid storm.