myxoedema
/,miksi'di:mə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A medical condition resulting from severe hypothyroidism: Myxoedema is a disorder caused by an underactive thyroid gland, characterized by specific physical and mental symptoms due to a deficiency of thyroid hormones.
Usage
- Myxoedema is a technical medical term used primarily in healthcare, endocrinology, and clinical discussions.
- It refers to the advanced, symptomatic stage of hypothyroidism.
- The term is often used in diagnostic contexts or when describing the clinical presentation of a patient.
Examples
- Noun:
- The patient was diagnosed with myxoedema after presenting with extreme fatigue, dry skin, and facial swelling.
- Myxoedema can lead to serious complications if the hypothyroidism is not treated with hormone replacement.
Advanced Usage
- "Myxoedema coma": A rare, life-threatening complication of severe, long-standing hypothyroidism, characterized by extreme lethargy, hypothermia, and multi-organ failure.
- Emergency treatment is required for a patient in myxoedema coma.
Variants and Related Words
- Myxedema (noun): The American English spelling of "myxoedema".
- The symptoms of myxedema are the same as those for myxoedema.
- Hypothyroidism (noun): The broader condition of an underactive thyroid gland, of which myxoedema is a severe form.
- Myxoedema is a consequence of untreated hypothyroidism.
Synonyms
- Hypothyroid state: A general term for the condition caused by thyroid hormone deficiency.
- Gull's disease: An older, eponymous name for the condition.
Notes on Different Meanings
- Myxoedema has a single, specific meaning in medicine. It does not have common idiomatic or figurative uses outside this clinical context. The swelling (oedema) mentioned in the definition is caused by the accumulation of mucopolysaccharides in the skin and other tissues, giving it a characteristic "puffy" appearance.
Noun
- hypothyroidism marked by dry skin and swellings around lips and nose as well as mental deterioration