Citation

Siegler RW. J. Forensic Sci. 1998; 43(6): 1237-1240.

Affiliation

Department of Pathology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9846404

Abstract

Heatstroke represents the most severe form of the heat-related illnesses. Potentially fatal, heatstroke most often affects the elderly, obese, or chronically ill. Thyroid disease, which may interfere with the normal regulation of body temperature, has not previously been reported in cases of heatstroke. A fatal case is reported in a young woman discovered unconscious in a sauna who was found to have preexisting Hashimoto's thyroiditis on subsequent autopsy. The diagnosis of hypothyroidism in heatstroke rests on clinical information and morphologic observations. This case underscores the importance of evaluating the thyroid in unusual cases of heatstroke.

Language: en