SAT-515 Anorexia and Severe Hypothyroidism Driving Persistent Ascites and Liver Injury

Background Unintentional weight loss, ascites, and altered mental status typically raise concerns for hepatologic-cardiac-oncologic disease. Herein we present a case that after exhaustive workup the etiology of the aforementioned findings was attributed to a combination of anorexia and severe hypothyroidism, states where slowed metabolism and altered nutritional status can interact synergistically. Clinical Case A 71 y/o lady with a history of hypothyroidism after RAI for Graves’ disease, anxiety, depression, presented with 20-30 lbs unintentional weight loss over 5 months. She had poor appetite, nausea, constipation, increased abdominal girth, anasarca, fatigue, weakness, and altered mental status. On exam she had bradycardia, hypotension and hypothermia (BP 97/51, HR 54, RR 18, Temp 94, BMI 15.8). Labs revealed a TSH of 36, FT4 0.98, Tbili 0.3, alk phos 491, AST 435, ALT 651, gGT 151, albumin 2.3, prealbumin 14.7, INR 1.03, and pancytopenia. Treatment with IV levothyroxine resulted in mental status improvement. Over the next few months extensive testing revealed mild element deficiencies (zinc 44- nl range 60 - 130 mcg/dL, vit A 32- nl range 38 - 98 mcg/dL), no evident infectious/hematologic or inflammatory disease. Despite 3 paracenteses, 2 liver biopsies, multiple imaging studies (abdominal U/S, ECHO, XRs, CT chest/abdomen/pelvis, MRI abdomen/pelvis, enterography, MRI brain, PET scan), EGD/colonoscopy, bone marrow bx, and explorative laparoscopic abdominal surgery, no clear explanation was found. During the workup her liver enzymes remained elevated, TSH and fT4 normalized, but T3 remained low at 50 (76 - 181 ng/dL). Psychiatric evaluation revealed mild cognitive impairment, presumed to be secondary to depression and underlying disease. By exclusion, she was diagnosed with anorexia with a possible component of persistent hypothyroidism. She was fed through NG tube and followed closely by nutrition with a personalized high protein and calorie meal plan. Eight months later she had gained 5 lbs, her liver enzymes/electrolytes and CBC normalized, and most of her symptoms resolved. Conclusion Hypothyroidism can cause LFT abnormalities, and though rare, there are >50 cases of hypothyroidism induced ascites reported. Usually LFTs and ascites normalize promptly with hormone supplementation. However, our patient’s case was complicated by severe anorexia, with nutritional status essentially equivalent to kwashiorkor sufferers. Though extremely rare in the developed world and in adults, kwashiorkor like physiology has been described in patients with anorexia, with impressive liver abnormalities, presumed to be due to autophagy. Though certainly this is a rare diagnosis, it does point to the fact that in our test driven culture, it is worth pausing, re-evaluating history and physical and thinking outside the box prior to subjecting our patients to countless tests and procedures.