Appearance of severe jaundice after radiometabolical treatment of thyrotoxicosis

The appearance of moderate jaundice with mildly raised levels of plasma bil irubin is an uncommon complication of thyrotoxicosis and is usually accompa nied by signs of right heart failure. Some described cases were actually re lated, at least in part, to autoimmune chronic hepatitis. In this paper we describe a case of thyrotoxicosis accompanied by deep jaundice with very hi gh levels of bilirubin occuring in the absence of cardiac failure and with no signs of hepatitis. Jaundice disappeared shortly after the start of thyr ostatic drug treatment, supporting a possible detrimental effect of hyperth yroidism on the hepatic bilirubin metabolism. (C) 1999, Editrice Kurtis.