Benign course after acute high dose levothyroxine intoxication in a 3-year-old boy

Abstract

Acute ingestion of thyroid hormone preparations is a common intoxication, with 181 cases in children <12 yr in 2009 in the Netherlands, but generally has a mild course. However, some reports show that even low dosages may cause serious events such as seizures, thyroid storm and coma. We report a 3 yr old boy case with an acute intoxication with high dose levothyroxine (0.5 mg/kg). We describe the proper management of levothyroxine intoxication in children. A 3-year-old boy with no notable medical history ingested sixty tablets of levothyroxine 150 µg. His vital-signs were normal and the only symptom during admission was a tachycardia the following day. Laboratory data showed elevated T3, fT3 and fT4 levels; and decrease TSH levels. He was treated prophylactically and therapeutically with activated charcoal and propranolol. Despite very high levels, his clinical symptoms were relatively mild. After clinical follow-up for 3 d he was discharged. We propose that children with thyroid hormone intoxication with either a levothyroxine dose >0.1 g/kg, a short interval since ingestion, symptomatic presentation, and/or a fT4 >100 pmol/l should be monitored in the hospital during at least 48–72 h post-ingestion and on an outpatient basis for 14 d.