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Early research in Italy suggests that SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection may affect how the thyroid gland works.
- The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can damage not only the lungs but also other organs. Scientists are investigating whether the infection could have a negative effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland
- The first studies show that patients may develop thyrotoxicosis, i.e. excessive secretion of thyroid hormones caused by damage to this organ
- More research is needed to accurately determine the effects of COVID-19 on thyroid function
More and more studies show that SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection is a burden for our entire body. The virus not only damages the lungs, but can also lead to kidney problems, affect the nervous system, intestines and skin. Read more: Coronavirus affects not only the lungs. It affects all organs
Early research in Italy suggests that the virus can also adversely affect the work of the thyroid gland. Dr. Ilaria Muller, an endocrinologist at the Ca’Granda Central Polyclinic Hospital in Milan, and her colleagues compared the results of blood tests of patients admitted to the ward for COVID-19 infection with the results of patients admitted a year earlier. She was interested in changes in thyroid hormones.
After excluding people with thyroid disease from the analysis, Muller and her colleagues received data from 85 patients in the intensive care unit in March and April 2020. All 85 people were confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. They compared the data of people with COVID-19 with the data of 78 people admitted to the same department during the first three months of 2019.
The study was published on July 30 in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. What conclusions did the scientists draw?
A proportion of COVID-19 patients have thyroid disorders
Scientists found that about 15 percent. of COVID-19 patients had thyrotoxicosis, which is an excess of thyroid hormones in the blood. This disorder can happen when the thyroid gland is damaged, causing an over-release of accumulated hormone reserves. For comparison, only 1 person out of 78 patients in the control group had symptoms of thyrotoxicosis.
Scientists believe that COVID-19 may be a risk factor for the development of atypical thyroiditis that can lead to thyrotoxicosis. Viral thyroiditis, also known as subacute, has unknown causes. Scientists are not yet able to determine which specific viruses cause this condition.
Doctors observed high levels of thyroxine in patients with COVID-19 who had thyrotoxicosis, but without the elevated levels of triiodothyronine, typical of viral thyroiditis. They also did not experience neck pain, a typical symptom of viral thyroiditis. Researchers believe that the damage to the thyroid gland may be related to the fact that there are ACE-2 receptors on its surface, to which the viral protein binds.
Doctors suspect that when COVID-19 is severe, the virus may damage the thyroid gland, but this may not be the case in milder forms of the disease. Only one of 41 COVID-19 patients without prior thyroid disease who was hospitalized with mild disease in March was diagnosed with thyrotoxicosis.
Other studies linking COVID-19 to thyroid damage
Another study, published in July by Italian scientists, suggests that COVID-19 may interfere with the action of thyroid hormones. Scientists, after examining 300 people diagnosed with COVID-19, noticed that in approx. 20 percent. of them developed thyrotoxicosis.
Dr. Gherardo Mazziotti, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor at the University of Humanitas in Milan, who led the work, adds that the long-term effects of COVID-19 on thyroid function are still under investigation. According to the physician, it is reasonable to hypothesize that SARS-CoV-2 thyroiditis is transient. However, it cannot be ruled out that in some cases the infection may cause permanent, chronic thyroid dysfunction.
Viral thyroiditis is generally a temporary condition, but in 5 to 20 percent of cases. cases of thyroid damage mean that patients require lifelong treatment. Scientists agree that more research is needed to confirm the link between SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection and inappropriate thyroid hormone secretion.
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