A thyroid storm is a life-threatening complication of many types of Hyperthyroidism, typically those where there is a hormone producing tumor on the thyroid gland. At unpredictable intervals, the thyroid releases mass quantities of hormones into the body. This causes a cascade reaction in the body's hormones that regulate the metabolism - those that allow sugar to be more quickly absorbed into the cells such as adrenaline and cortisol. As a result, the heart rate and respiration both increase quickly, and the brain is quickly overwhelmed by the increase in activity. Patients will often start to panic and succumb to a flight/fight response. Blood sugar can drop dangerously low, resulting in unconsciousness and coma despite the increased production of hormones attempting to stimulate the mus