| Wilson's temperature syndrome | |
|---|---|
| Pseudomedical diagnosis | |
| Risks | Nocebo |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Alternative medicine |
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Wilson's (temperature) syndrome, also called Wilson's thyroid syndrome or WTS, is a term used in alternative medicine to improperly attribute various common and non-specific symptoms to abnormally low body temperature and impaired conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3), despite normal thyroid function tests.[1] E. Denis Wilson, a physician who invented the concept and named it after himself, treated these symptoms with sustained-release triiodothyronine (SR-T3) until one of his patients died and he was banned from prescribing this treatment any longer.
Wilson's Syndrome is not an actual medical condition, and medical expert groups have warned against it as a potentially dangerous misunderstanding of physiology. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) released an official statement asserting that Wilson's syndrome is at odds with established knowledge of thyroid function and describing the diagnostic criteria for Wilson's syndrome as "imprecise" and "non-specific".[2]
After one of Wilson's patients died from his treatment in 1988, Florida State Medical Board members described Wilson's temperature syndrome as a "phony syndrome" and as a scam that fleeced patients and healthcare insurers during disciplinary action against Wilson, whose medical license was suspended for six months.[3]
- ^ Nippoldt, Todd (November 21, 2009). "Is Wilson's Syndrome a legitimate ailment?". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
- ^ "Public Health Statement: "Wilson's Syndrome"". American Thyroid Association. 24 May 2005.
- ^ "Board:Physician is fleecing patients". Lakeland Ledger. February 9, 1992. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
A physician fleeced patients and insurers with treatments for a phony syndrome he named for himself, said a state medical board that suspended the doctor's license for six months.