Coexistent insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperthyroidism in a patient with Down's syndrome.

The prevalence of thyroid disease is increased in Down's syndrome. Compared with adults, thyroid dysfunction in children with Down's syndrome is less frequently reported. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is also uncommon in Down's syndrome children. Coexistent insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperthyroidism in Down's syndrome was only reported once previously in literature. We report an 8-year-old girl with Down's syndrome that had polyuria, polydipsia, abdominal pain and urinary incontinence one and half a month prior to admission. Physical examination revealed typical face of Mongolism and tachycardia. Thyroid glands were not palpable. Laboratory data revealed diabetic ketoacidosis with plasma glucose: 860 mg/dl. She had thyroid hyperfunction with TSH: < 0.1 microU/ml, T3: 219.7 ng/dl, T4: 15 micrograms/dl. Thyroid autoimmune antibodies were also increased. There was markedly increased radiotracer uptake in the bilateral thyroid glands in Tc-99 thyroid scan. We suggest that Down's syndrome children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus should be evaluated carefully for thyroid function and autoimmune disease.