J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 55(4): 423-431, 1954
Original article
STUDIES ON THREE CASES OF PERIODIC PARALYSIS ASSOCIATED WITH GRAVES' DISEASE.
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I. Surgical Department, Tokyo University School of Medicine. (Director : Prof. Kentaro SHIMIZU) Shiro HAYASHI |
The author has reported three cases of this combination (Periodic paralysis and Graves' disease) adding a series of 11 cases which admitted into the First Surgical Department of Tokyo University from 1937 to 1948. They have no family history of periodc paralysis.
In Case 1. (female), the attacks could be precipitated by intravenous administration of glucose, by oral administration of fructose, by hypodermal injection of epinephrine, etc. During the paralysis, the serum potassium value and E.K.G. finding were normal. Besides the existence of goiter, hypertrophied thymus was also found at the time of operation. (Another case associated with hypertrophied thymus was found among the series of 11 cases of the department.
On the contrary. in Case 2 (male), the author discovered subnormal quantities of serum potassium during the attacks and the flattened T in E.K.G. was observed simultaneously.
In Case 3. (female), no pathological evidence could be found in various kinds of adrenocortical function test, although no attack of paralysis found throughout the period of hospitalization.
In all cases. the attacks decame more frequent and severe with increasing intensity of hyperthyroidism, and the subsequent disappearance of attacks after thyroidectomy.
Clinical data make me believe that periodic paralysis may exist, in some instances, as a latent abnormality which easily becomes to be manifest as toxic function of thyroid gland develops.
There may be similar relationship between thymus and paralysis in this disease as seen in the myasthenia gravis. (Author's abstract)
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