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. 1987 Apr;63(738):269–271. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.63.738.269

'Apathetic' thyrotoxicosis presenting with hypercalcaemia and spurious normalization of serum thyroid hormone levels.

S H Ralston 1, W D Fraser 1, M Soukop 1, J H McKillop 1
PMCID: PMC2428140  PMID: 2446302

Abstract

A patient with thyrotoxicosis presented with weight loss and hypercalcaemia, leading to an erroneous diagnosis of occult malignant disease. Intercurrent illness and drug treatment of hypercalcaemia in this patient caused a depression of circulating thyroid hormone levels, leading to a delay in diagnosis. Radionuclide studies of thyroid function, in contrast, consistently suggested a thyrotoxic state. It is suggested that in this situation, radionuclide studies may give a more accurate assessment of thyroid status than biochemical tests, which may be difficult to interpret in the presence of non-thyroidal illness.

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Selected References

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