CONCERNING THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROIDISM

The results of a comparative study of the clinical and laboratory data for determining thyroid deficiency are reported herewith. There is very little difficulty in recognizing the average well-developed case of myxedema or cretinism, but our observations show that cases of mild thyroid deficiency are probably more numerous than has previously been supposed; also that some will remain unrecognized unless special methods are used in diagnosis and control of treatment.

A series of cases of thyroid disease were selected for study. Certain of these cases had been previously diagnosed definitely hypothyroid. Other patients had long been seeking relief from indefinite ill-health previously undiagnosed, which no form of treatment seemed to alleviate. With the exception of one patient, (Case 1940), a child, 2 years old and too young for special methods of examination, the group could definitely be diagnosed by aid of combined laboratory and clinical methods as thyroid deficiency cases.