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A Case of Pericardial Effusion and Cardiac Tamponed with Hyperthyroidism

Seyed Amir Ahmadiyan Hosseini, Zohreh Sarchahi, Shima Shaermoghadam and Hassan Ghodsi

Pericardial effusion is rarely associated with hyperthyroidism, but we discuss the case of a patient with hyperthyroidism that developed pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. Case definition: A 69 year-old woman visited the hospital complaining mainly that she felt there was a lump in her throat. She had not received any treatments since being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism two years previously. The chest radiograph indicated cardiac hypertrophy and pericardial effusion on the left side of the heart. Tests showed that the level of her thyroid-stimulating hormone was low but her free thyroxine level was normal. Echocardiography revealed pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. One thousand milliliters of fluid was removed during pericardiocentesis. Discussion: About 11 cases of pericardial effusion associated with hyperthyroidism have been recorded. However, in some reports the patients suffered from bloody pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade, which was related to the drug heparin that they took. Like our patient, those in the other reports did not take anticoagulants.