Thyroid Disease and Myxedema

Hypothyroidism is associated mainly with diastolic hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Hyperthyroidism is characterized by systolic hypertension, tachycardia and wide pulse pressure. A pulse pressure of 60 mmHg or more would be considered wide.


This is a photograph of a patient with myxedema due to hypothyroidism. The face appears swollen with periorbital puffiness. The lateral third of the eyebrows is characteristically thin. The skin is often pale and the hair is typically brittle, coarse and dry. Alopecia is also common.