What is a hallmark feature of thyroid storm?

• A. Severe tachycardia, hyperthermia, hypertension, and altered mental status; a medical emergency
• B. Hypothermia and bradycardia
• C. Hypotension and hyponatremia
• D. Weight loss with fatigue

Answer: (A)

A hallmark feature of thyroid storm is a life-threatening hypermetabolic state driven by excessive thyroid hormones, causing marked sympathetic activation. You’ll see extreme fever, severe tachycardia, hypertension, and altered mental status (ranging from agitation to delirium or coma). This cluster signals the acute, dangerous surge in metabolic rate and cardiovascular strain that defines thyroid storm and requires urgent intervention.

Other descriptions fit different situations: hypothermia with bradycardia suggests a hypothyroid crisis, while hypotension with hyponatremia can occur in severe illness but isn’t the defining picture of a thyroid storm. Weight loss with fatigue describes chronic thyrotoxicosis rather than an acute crisis.