myxoedema
myxoedema (miks-i-dee-mă) n.
1. a dry firm waxy swelling of the skin and subcutaneous tissues found in patients with underactive thyroid glands (see hypothyroidism).
2. the clinical syndrome due to hypothyroidism in adult life, including coarsening of the skin, intolerance to cold, weight gain, and mental dullness. m. coma a life-threatening condition due to severe hypothyroidism, often precipitated by an acute event, such as surgery, prolonged exposure to cold, infection, trauma, or sedative drugs.
—myxoedematous adj.
1. a dry firm waxy swelling of the skin and subcutaneous tissues found in patients with underactive thyroid glands (see hypothyroidism).
2. the clinical syndrome due to hypothyroidism in adult life, including coarsening of the skin, intolerance to cold, weight gain, and mental dullness. m. coma a life-threatening condition due to severe hypothyroidism, often precipitated by an acute event, such as surgery, prolonged exposure to cold, infection, trauma, or sedative drugs.
—myxoedematous adj.
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myxoedema
