An Unusual Case of Sudden Death: Is There a Relationship Between Thyroid Disorders and Fatal Pulmonary Thromboembolism? A Case Report and Review of Literature

The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
Isabella AquilaPietrantonio Ricci

Abstract

In adults, the most common cause of sudden death is coronary heart disease or defects in the cardiac conduction system; however, there are many cases of sudden death occurring from other causes such as fatal pulmonary thromboembolism. Several risk factors are recognized, including hospitalization, surgery, obesity, pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives, traumatic fractures, and genetic conditions, which cause hypercoagulable states such as factor V Leiden mutations. Although many risk factors have been identified, the mortality rate is still high. An association between thyroid disease and coagulation disorders has previously been demonstrated. However, scientific literature does not yet agree on the association between thyroid diseases and pulmonary thromboembolism. Excessive thyroid hormones can determine an alteration in the hemostatic system through different mechanisms, which lead to a hypercoagulable state. In forensic literature, there are no reports of fatal thromboembolism in patients with thyroid disorders. We reported a case of a 41-year-old woman who died during sexual activity. The autopsy findings highlighted the presence of massive pulmonary embolism. Histopathological analysis showed structural anomalies of ...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1995·Chest·C GiuntiniA Palla
Jul 20, 2007·Cardiovascular Pathology : the Official Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology·Ivo Steiner
Feb 26, 2008·Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology·John A Heit
Mar 12, 2009·Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis·Massimo FranchiniPier Paolo Vescovi
May 20, 2009·Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis·Massimo FranchiniPier Paolo Vescovi
Mar 24, 2010·Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/hemostasis : Official Journal of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis·Massimo FranchiniGiovanni Targher
Apr 2, 2010·American Journal of Preventive Medicine·Michele G BeckmanThomas L Ortel
Aug 27, 2010·Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis : JTH·H-C LinJ-H Kang
Apr 13, 2011·The Oncologist·Christopher R McHenry, Roy Phitayakorn
Mar 2, 2012·The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism·J M W HooperR A Ajjan
Jul 5, 2012·Internal Medicine Journal·D D W KimR Cutfield
Oct 5, 2013·Forensic Science International : Synergy·Isabella AquilaPietrantonio Ricci
Nov 20, 2013·Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism·Sameer Aggarwal, Nityanand Sharma
Jan 18, 2014·Autoimmunity Reviews·P CaturegliN R Rose

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Sep 9, 2017·Journal of Forensic Sciences·Isabella AquilaPietrantonio Ricci
Dec 22, 2017·The Medico-legal Journal·Isabella AquilaPietrantonio Ricci
Jul 5, 2018·BMJ Case Reports·Isabella AquilaSanto Gratteri
Aug 16, 2019·The Medico-legal Journal·Isabella AquilaSanto Gratteri

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Blood Clotting Disorders

Thrombophilia includes conditions with increased tendency for excessive blood clotting. Blood clotting occurs when the body has insufficient amounts of specialized proteins that make blood clot and stop bleeding. Here is the latest research on blood clotting disorders.

Cardiac Conduction System

The cardiac conduction system is a specialized tract of myocardial cells responsible for maintaining normal cardiac rhythm. Discover the latest research on the cardiac conduction system here.

Autoimmune Thyroiditis

Autoimmune thyroiditis is an inflammatory disease of thyroid gland due to autoimmune responses leading to lymphocytic infiltration of the gland. It is characterized by the presence of circulating thyroid antigen-specific T-cells and thyroid autoantibodies. Discover the latest research on autoimmune thyroiditis here.

Related Papers

Archivos de bronconeumología
E Martínez PérezY Mira Fornés
The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
Rajesh Kannan, D Kimberley Molina
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved