Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20145940›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of legal medicine2010

Lethal thyroid storm after uncontrolled intake of liothyronine in order to lose weight.

Benno Hartung, Matthias Schott, Thomas Daldrup, Stefanie Ritz-Timme

Abstract readCase Reports
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Poisoning with Thyroid Hormones Used Illegally-Systematic Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Clinical concepts on thyroid emergencies.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2014
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Toxicity of weight loss agents.Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology · 2012
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Benno HartungInstitute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. benno.hartung@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
Matthias Schott
Thomas Daldrup
Stefanie Ritz-Timme
Düsseldorf University Hospital · DEHeinrich Heine University Düsseldorf · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Thyroid hormones are sometimes used for purposes for which they are not approved. Reasons for off-label use can be overweight, prevailing depressive mood, or various somatic symptoms. Information about the intake of thyroid hormones in order to lose weight can be easily obtained from inappropriate/nonmedical websites. The objective of this case report is to describe the first case of a lethal abuse of liothyronine. The case was a 29-year-old male (BMI 32) without relevant illnesses. An autopsy was performed and followed by histological, toxicological, and clinical chemistry examinations. The autopsy revealed no relevant pathology. Histology showed multiple areas of focal cell necrosis in the myocardium and signs of acute heart failure including severe edema of the lungs; the follicles of the thyroid gland were markedly plump. Postmortem laboratory results indicated lethal liothyronine intoxication. Despite prevailing opinion, uncontrolled intake of liothyronine can cause lethal thyroid storm in a euthyroid patient without manifested cardiac illnesses.

Indexed as

AdultAutopsyFatal OutcomeHumansMaleMyocardiumNecrosisOff-Label UseSubstance-Related DisordersThyroid CrisisThyroid GlandTriiodothyronineTriiodothyronine

Identifiers

PMID20145940
OpenAlexW2002301685

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.