CARDIAC-TAMPONADE AS THE FORM OF PRESENTA TION OF PRIMARY HYPOTHYROIDISM IN A YOUNG WOMAN

Cardiac tamponade as the form of presentation of primary hypothyroidis m in a young woman Pericardial effusion (PE) as a hypothyroidism assoc iated sign, is something that can be found with relative frequency; ne vertheless, cardiac tamponade (CT) as the first sign of this disease m ay be considered exceptional especially in young patients. We report a 31 years old woman with clinical symptoms and signs of CT that in the forward workshop was diagnosed of primary hypothyroidism as cause of the CT. We shortly describe the case and review the literature, emphas izing the importance of the knowledge of CT trigger factors in myxedem atous PE, as well as its usual benign evolution with hormonal treatmen t, without recurrences of the CT after pericardiocentesis is performed . This justify a conservative approach, in spite of the slow resolutio n of the PE what can take as long as 1.5 years.