Definition of "myxedema" []

• A disease caused by decreased activity of the thyroid gland in adults and characterized by dry skin, swellings around the lips and nose, mental deterioration, and a subnormal basal metabolic rate. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It assumes variety of forms, the major among them being hypothyroidism also known as myxedema and hyperthyroidism also known as throtoxicosis goitre."
• "Then, too, a defect in the glands causes the disease known as myxedema in adults and cretinism in children."
• "After description of the myxedema condition, transplantation and injection of extracts of thyroid tissue was tried."