Progressive Dyspnea and Stridor in an Elderly Woman

Abstract

A 68-year-old woman was seen in the Emergency Room of another hospital with dyspnea and stridor and was referred to the Milwaukee County Medical Complex. She had been dyspneic for six months and noted stridor for three weeks. The stridor worsened acutely and progressively over the preceding 24 hours. She also complained of chronic mild generalized weakness and fatigue. Specific questioning brought out that her facial features had become coarser and her ring size had markedly increased (from 8 to 14) in the past 30 years.