A Case of Thyroid Storm Presented as Infectious Gastroenteritis

ABSTRACT

It is difficult to diagnose thyroid storm in an emergency room, especially in cases when there is no past history of thyroid disease or specific symptoms such as thyroid hypertrophy and exophthalmia. Nevertheless, thyroid storm is a medical emergency threatening the patient's life, and immediate diagnosis and intensive treatment are critical to the patient's well-belling. We experienced a case of thyroid storm with comparatively rare symptoms in an emergency department. A 29-yearold male was taken to the emergency room with diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Initially, the patient's symptoms were attributed to acute gastroenteritis. As time passed, consciousness decreased and tachycardia appeared, and we ultimately suspected thyroid storm because of the atypical symptoms and were able to cure the patient with early treatment.