Cerebellar Ataxia as the Presenting Feature of Hypothyroidism

Abstract

Symptoms and signs of the hypothyroidism vary in relation to the magnitude and acuteness of the thyroid hormone deficiency. The usual clinical features are constipation, fatigue, cold intolerance and weight gain. Rarely it can present with neurologic problems like reversible cerebellar ataxia, dementia, peripheral neuropathy, psychosis and coma. We present the case of a 56 year old male who came to us with complaints of gait ataxia of 1 month duration with no sensory and labyrinthine pathologies. Investigations revealed frank hypothyroidism and patient improved dramatically with thyroxine supplementation.