ENLARGEMENT OF THE COLON SECONDARY TO HYPOTHYROIDISM
Authors: Theodore Bacharach, Joseph R. Evans
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1957)

Case Reports1 July 1957ENLARGEMENT OF THE COLON SECONDARY TO HYPOTHYROIDISMTHEODORE BACHARACH, JOSEPH R. EVANSTHEODORE BACHARACHSearch for more papers by this author, JOSEPH R. EVANSSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-47-1-121 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptConstipation, flatulence and mild distention are well known clinical findings associated with myxedema.1, 2 Medical texts and monographs on gastrointestinal disease make rare mention of the association of hypothyroidism and a megacolon-like syndrome manifest by actual enlargement of the colon. Megacolon on this basis has only infrequently been reported in the medical literature.3, 4Pathologic studies of the bowel wall have been reported as showing the following changes:3The wall of the colon is thickened and somewhat whitish, with a loss of elasticity and the consistency of soft leather; on microscopic examination, the lesions are characterized by a myxedematous infiltration...Bibliography1. EscamillaLisserShepardson RFHHC: Internal myxedema; report of a case showing ascites, cardiac, intestinal and bladder atony, menorrhagia, secondary anemia and associated carotinemia, Ann. Int. Med. 9: 297-316, 1935. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Bassler A: Three cases of masked hypothyroidism having abdominal symptoms, Endocrinology 26: 218-220, 1940. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. Bastenie PA: Paralytic ileus in severe hypothyroidism, Lancet 1: 413-417 (Mar. 23) 1946. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ceelen W: Über Myxödem, Beitr. z. path. Anat. u. z. allg. Path. 69: 342-351, 1921. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: *Received for publication January 30, 1956.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Joseph R. Evans, M.D., Suite 202, 508 East South Temple, Salt Lake City 2, Utah. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Thyroid GlandThyroid disorders and gastrointestinal and liver dysfunction: A state of the art reviewNeuromuscular and Mechanical Disorders of the Large IntestineThe Thyroid and the GutAcute colonic surgery and unrecognized hypothyroidism: A warningReversible Gastroparesis in Patients With Hypopituitary DiseaseReversible Gastroparesis in Patients With Hypopituitary DiseaseColorectal manifestations of endocrine diseaseAn Unusual Case of Myxedema Megacolon With Features of Ischemic and Pseudomembranous ColitisDrug-Induced Gastrointestinal DisordersChronic intestinal pseudoobstructionDrug-induced gastrointestinal diseaseIntestinal disorders in hypothyroidismMyxedema Causing Adynamic Ileus, Serous Effusions, and Inappropriate Secretion of Antidiuretic HormoneThe diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary hypothyroidism 1 July 1957Volume 47, Issue 1Page: 121-124KeywordsColonConstipationHypothyroidismLesionsMegacolon ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 July 1957 PDF downloadLoading ...