Prolonged Spontaneous Hypothermia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The case of a 68 year old Negro male patient is presented. He had diabetes mellitus, weight loss and a bullous eruption. In the hospital, he developed a persistent hypothermia with a temperature ranging from 30[degree] to 33[degree]C (88[degree] to 93[degree]F). There was no evidence of hypothyroidism. He also manifested a steatorrhea apparently due to pancreatic insufficiency. Biopsy of the bulla showed it to be intradermal, hence a form of pemphigoid rather than pemphigus. He died 7 weeks after admission. Post mortem examination showed evidence of severe chronic pancreatitis. No brain lesion was found to account for the hypothermia. The nature of this unusual clinical picture is discussed. Pemphigoid eruptions have been reported with various carcinomas including that of the pancreas. It may be related to the severe malnutrition due to the pancreatic steatorrhea. Spontaneous hypothermia is not uncommon as a pre-terminal event. It may be due to hypopituitarism and myxoedema. Neither of these endocrine disturbances existed in our patient. Hypothermia has been reported due to steatorrhea of various causes. In this case, the severe, prolonged hypothermia was probably related to the wasting produced by advanced pancreatic insufficiency.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: