Pericardial Effusion Complicating Refractory Hypothyroidism Secondary to Autoimmune Atrophic Gastritis: A Case Report

Chukwuemeka A. Umeh^1, , Ankit Dubey¹ and Stella Onyi²

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Hemet Valley Medical Center, Hemet, California, USA

²Department of Radiology, Hemet Valley Medical Center, Hemet, California, USA

Cite this paper

Chukwuemeka A. Umeh, Ankit Dubey and Stella Onyi. Pericardial Effusion Complicating Refractory Hypothyroidism Secondary to Autoimmune Atrophic Gastritis: A Case Report. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2020; 8(12):447-450. doi: 10.12691/AJMCR-8-12-3

Abstract

Hypothyroidism is characterized by a broad clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic or subclinical hypothyroidism to overt myxedema and multisystem failure. Pericardial effusion occurs frequently in myxedema but is rare in other stages of hypothyroidism because of the timeliness in which hypothyroidism is nowadays detected and treated. The author reports a case of progressively worsening pericardial effusion from refractory hypothyroidism secondary to autoimmune atrophic gastritis. The approach to managing pericardial effusion complicating refractory hypothyroidism is discussed.

Keywords

pericardial effusion, hypothyroidism, refractory hypothyroidism, autoimmune atrophic gastritis

Copyright

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