In my leisurely late night reading, I came across a 2007 article in the Journal of Medical Biography describing this 16th century celebrity and an eponymous sign named after her. Apparently, people with "abbreviated eyebrows" as shown in this portrait may have a certain disease. The sign was misnamed as this queen did not have the disease, but if she did, she might complain of the following symptoms: fatigue, slow movement, slow speech, constipation, and weight gain. Her exam might reveal delayed deep tendon reflexes, bradycardia, dry skin, and coarse hair.Challenge: What disease am I talking about?
Image is in the public domain.
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5 comments:
Hypothyroidism (Queen Anne's sign)
sounds like hypothyroidism...
hypothyroidism, but i don't know the queen's name
hypothyroidism?
I learned about this sign via Wikipedia, but I got confirmation from a friend whose preceptor is an endocrinologist that it's valid.
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Queen of Denmark
The sign described is "Queen Anne's sign," referring to the Queen of Denmark whose portraits have laterally truncated eyebrows. This is seen in hypothyroidism. Most likely the queen did not have hypothyroidism, but the name has stuck.
Source: UpToDate; Wikipedia; jmb.rsmjournals.com.
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