An Overview On Myxedema Coma
The thyroid hormones are very important for normal body functioning. Producing less than required amount of it may lead to hypothyroidism and in the worst case to a condition called Myxedema Coma. Very low levels of thyroid hormone lead to this condition. Let us take a brief look at Myxedema, its causes, its symptoms, and other facts related to it below. Sometimes the thyroid gland of our body becomes less active and produces very little amount of hormones. The organs of body respond to it and the patient starts feeling some kind of fatigue, sudden weight gain, dry skin, feeling of excessive cold and sleepiness. But in worst conditions a patient may undergo coma. Coma patients suffering from Myxedema is under threat of life.
Coma recovery in case of Myxedema is very critical. Hence people suffering from hypothyroidism should take immediate medical care. Those who are near, or in, coma state should be taken to emergency medical help. One should take care of general symptoms of hypothyroidism. The common causes of hypothyroidism are heart attack, infections of lungs or urine infections, some kind of trauma, some kinds of drugs like phenothiazines and lithium. The patient exhibits some kind of symptoms before sending the brain in coma. These may include tremendous weakness, confusions, low body temperature, difficulty in breathing, feeling cold and abnormal swelling of body. Myxedema Coma is thus an extreme manifestation of low hormones of thyroid. There is a misconception that a person suffering from such type of coma must be comatose. It is not necessary that the patient should become unconsciousness in such a state. Extreme deterioration of mental status is sufficient to consider coma in this case. This condition is more common in women than in men. Elderly women are more likely to suffer from this lethal disease and the problems aggravate during winters. This is a lethal condition like other comas. There are other types of coma like hypoglycemic coma or diabetic coma. The causes of a diabetic coma are extreme level of blood sugar, diabetes medications, stress and heart attack due to diabetes. There are more types of lethal coma like hepatic coma, brain injury coma, trauma coma, and more. Even there are stages of coma which doctors diagnose before the treatment is applied. The stages of coma in case of Myxedema are diagnosed with the help of Glasgow Coma Score. The GCS is a reliable way of recording the conscious of the patient suffering from Myxedema coma. The assessment of mental state is carried against criteria of scale and the patient gets points as score. The best treatment is decided by doctors based on the score of a patient. |