An insight into anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO) positive cognitive impairment: Analysis of four unusual cases and plea for pragmatism

ABSTRACT

Cognitive impairment and varied psychiatric manifestations are common in thyroid disorders. But autoimmune thyroid disorders masquerading as dementia or psychotic disorders without other overt systemic features of dysthyroidism are rare. Here we are presenting a detailed analysis of four heterogeneous cases of thyroid related cognitive impairments mimicking and fulfilling criteria of known psychiatric diagnosis for a brief period of time, requiring multiple psychotropic medications without any significant improvement. Cognitive impairment and behavioral abnormalities with a known psychiatric diagnosis, with unknown temporal profiling of anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO) positivity, without encephalopathy and subsequent complete or partial responsiveness with levothyroxin, point towards a possible new entity not well explored so far.(AU)