Hepatic dysfunction in a patient with thyrotoxicosis may result from hyperthyroidism per se, as a side effect of antithyroid drugs, and causes unrelated to hyperthyroidism which sometimes causes diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. A young female patient was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, diffuse goiter and ophthalmopathy along with cholestatic pattern of jaundice, and proximal muscle weakness. She was treated with propylthiouracil with gradual recovery. She was continuing her antithyroid medication with regular follow-up. The patient was readmitted a few months later with worsening thyrotoxicosis, proximal muscle weakness, fever, and a hepatocellular pattern of jaundice with sepsis. Propylthiouracil was stopped and lithium along with steroid coverage was given to control her thyrotoxicosis which was later changed to methimazole. Broad spectrum antibiotic therapy was also started but without any response. During her hospital stay, the patient also developed a flaccid paraplegia resembling Guillain-Barre syndrome. IV steroid was started for the neuropathy but meanwhile the patient succumbed to her illness. So in centers where facility for radioiodine therapy is not readily available, some definite well-tested protocols should be formulated to address such common but complicated clinical situations.

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Background: The study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in newly diagnosed type2 Diabetes mellitus (DM) by clinical examination and nerve conduction study (NCS), and to correlate them with risk factors.Methods: Eighty newly detected cases of type2DM of age ≥18 years attending Endocrinology Department of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India were evaluated. Grading of symptoms and signs was done using the Neuropathy Symptoms Score (NSS) and Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS) respectively followed by NCS.  Neuropathy was diagnosed based on abnormal NSS, NDS or NCS.Results: Prevalence of peripheral neuropathy was 68.75 % based on abnormal NCS/NDS/NCS. The most common symptom was presence of paraesthesia in 70.9%, followed by weakness in lower limbs in 16.36%.  The most common sign was impairment of vibration perception in 76.3%, followed by absent ankle reflex in 56.36%. Abnormal NCS finding was seen in 55% of patients with neuropathy. Of all the patients with neuropathy, only 2.5% had subclinical neuropathy that is abnormal NCS finding in absence of sign and symptoms. Peripheral neuropathy had significant association with age at diagnosis, presence of hypertension, fasting plasma glucose(FPG), HbA1c, serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) (p<0.05). On multiple linear regression analysis, only age at diagnosis and FPG were independently associated with neuropathy (p<0.05).Conclusions: Patients with type 2DM have a high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy at diagnosis and very few of them harbour subclinical neuropathy. This study has shown that clinical examination still remains the main tool for detection of neuropathy.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and the risk factors for cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the Department of Endocrinology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India between December 2016 to March 2018. Methodology: We included 100 patients (60 males and 40 females; age range: 36–72 years) with type 2 DM. Their clinical, biochemical, and metabolic parameters were analyzed and assessment of CAN were done based on the Ewing's criteria. Results: Out of 100 patients, 60 were males and 40 were females. The mean age of the patients was 53.3 ± 10.37 years (36–72 years) and the mean duration of diabetes was 9.03 ± 6.4 years (6 months–25 years). Patients were divided into two groups: “without CAN” (CAN−) and “with CAN” (CAN+). The prevalence of CAN was 70%, with early CAN in 25%, definite CAN in 24%, and severe CAN in 21% cases The patients with CAN were older ( P = 0.0005), had longer diabetes duration (11.56 vs. 3.13; P = 0.0001), higher creatinine ( P < 0.0001), and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ( P = 0.0001) compared to patients without CAN. Retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and nephropathy were common in CAN + patients. On multiple logistic regression analysis, duration of diabetes [odds ratio (OR); 6.7, P < 0.0001), older age (OR; 1.07, P < 0.016), and lower eGFR (OR; 0.97, P < 0.03) were risk factors for CAN. Conclusion: CAN is a common microvascular complication in type 2 DM with duration of diabetes, age, and severity of nephropathy being its significant determinants.

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