Hyponatremia without Inappropriate Secretion of Vasopressin in a Case of Myxedema Coma

Abstract

A 45-year-old woman with myxedema coma due to primary hypothyroidism manifested hyponatremia, impaired water excretion, and elevated urine osmolarity as well as natriuresis suggestive of a syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. However, plasma vasopressin was undectable or very low and plasma aldosterone levels were suppressed in the presence of hyponatremia. Subsequent replacement therapy with levothyroxine caused a rapid decline in sodium clearance which was independent of the change in glomerular filtration rate, and corrected the impaired water excretion and hyponatremia. Plasma vasopressin levels returned to the normal range after the correction of hyponatremia. Thus, the results indicate that neither vasopressin nor aldosterone plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of the hyponatremia in this patient. It appears that thyroid hormone deficiency itself caused the derangement of tubular cell function, which resulted in the development of the impaired water excretion and hyponatremia. © 1982, The Japan Endocrine Society. All rights reserved.