Seizures and Cardiac Tamponade in Long-Standing Severe Hypothyroidism

Abstract

We report a patient who presented with a seizure episode and concurrent clinical and echocardiographic evidence of cardiac tamponade caused by severe hypothyroidism. The symptoms improved following immediate tube pericardiostomy and thyroxine hormone replacement. The classic symptoms of severe hypothyroidism are now rarely seen given the wide availability of thyrotropin (TSH) assays and thyroid hormone tablets. The simultaneous occurrence of both symptoms during a single admission has not been previously reported in literature.