An Unusual Presentation of Hypothyroidism

Abstract

We describe a case of a 42-year-old male, with a 5-year history of recurrent gum bleeding, easy bruising, and chronic fatigue who presented for management of possible bleeding complications prior to a planned dental procedure. After extensive work-up, the patient was diagnosed with acquired von Willebrand Disease and underlying hypothyroidism with a thyrotropin (TSH) of 321 mIU/L (0.35–5.5) and total thyroxine (T₄) of less than 1 µg/dL (4.5–12.5). He was started on levothyroxine and therapy and when compliant with treatment, the mucosal bleeding and symptoms of hypothyroidism were resolved. A subsequent TSH and total T₄ samples were drawn and found to be 6.3 mIU/L and 4.1 µg/dL, respectively.