Hamburger thyrotoxicosis

Last revised by Mohammad Taghi Niknejad on 20 Sep 2022

Hamburger thyrotoxicosis refers to a cause from ingestion of thyroid hormone from contaminated meat. It is a very rare cause of thyrotoxicosis.

Pathology

Hamburger thyrotoxicosis is most commonly due to the practice of "gullet trimming" whereby muscles from the larynx of the slaughtered animal are ground into other cuts of meat to make hamburgers. The larynx muscles often may include thyroid tissue leading to inadvertent consumption of thyroid hormone 1,2.

History and etymology

There was a large outbreak of hamburger thyrotoxicosis in the US states of Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota during 1984-1985 due to this practice 1,2.

ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.