A Case of Myxedema With Ascites and Atony of the Urinary Bladder

This case was considered worthy of description inasmuch as a perusal of the literature reveals no record of the association of atonic bladder with myxedema and because a determination was made of the protein content of the ascitic fluid of which there is also no record in the literature. Disturbance in the function of nerve and muscle is not uncommon in myxedema. Most of the standard monographs (1–7) speak of the frequency of constipation, and this is generally attributed to atony of the bowel musculature (1, 3, 7). The dilatation of the heart occasionally observed has been ascribed to atony of cardiac muscle (8). A slowing (34) of tendon reflexes is described together with loss of acuity in hearing, sight and taste, as well as sexual impotence (3, 7), but so far as I know no one has described a disturbance of the musculature of the urinary bladder or its innervation. According to Falta (1) there is a definitely decreased irritability of the entire vegetative nervous system. In particular v. Cyon found that the electrical excitability of the vagus nerve was diminished in thyroidectomized dogs.