PICU treatment of 3 cases of pediatric thyroid storm: Case series and literature review.

RATIONALE

Thyroid storm (TS), also known as thyroid crisis, is a life-threatening condition that involves multiple organ dysfunction and high mortality due to uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. TS in children is extremely rare, early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve the prognosis of the children.

PATIENT CONCERNS

Three female children who diagnosed as "thyroid storm" were admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). One of them had a family history of hyperthyroidism and others had infection factors induced TS. They presented with characteristic manifestations of TS and were evaluated with Burch-Wartofsky Point Scale (BWPS) hyperthyroidism score.

DIAGNOSES

Three cases showed that free triiodothyronine 3 (FT3) and free triiodothyronine 4 (FT4) were increased and Thyroid-Stimulating-Hormone was significantly decreased, which were characteristic in hyperthyroidism. They presented with characteristic manifestations of TS and were evaluated with BWPS hyperthyroidism score.

INTERVENTIONS

All the cases were given antithyroid drugs (ATDs) for treatment. In addition, 1 of them underwent therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) after transferring to PICU.

OUTCOMES

One of the cases was declared dead and others were survived.

LESSONS

TS should be identified timely and treated early. Further studies are needed to determine the diagnostic criteria and scoring system for TS in pediatric.