Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Mar 1;162(3):bqab004.
doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqab004.

Potential Interaction Between SARS-CoV-2 and Thyroid: A Review

Wenjie Chen  1 , Yuang Tian  2 , Zhihui Li  1 , Jingqiang Zhu  1 , Tao Wei  1 , Jianyong Lei  1
Affiliations
Review

Potential Interaction Between SARS-CoV-2 and Thyroid: A Review

Wenjie Chen et al. Endocrinology. .

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) produced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is sweeping the world in a very short time. Although much has been learned about the clinical course, prognostic inflammatory markers, and disease complications of COVID-19, the potential interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and the thyroid is poorly understood. In contrast to SARS-CoV-1, limited available evidence indicates there is no pathological evidence of thyroid injury caused by SARS-CoV-2. However, subacute thyroiditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been reported for the first time. Thyroid dysfunction is common in patients with COVID-19 infection. By contrast, certain thyroid diseases may have a negative impact on the prevention and control of COVID-19. In addition, some anti-COVID-19 agents may cause thyroid injury or affect its metabolism. COVID-19 and thyroid disease may mutually aggravate the disease burden. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection should not ignore the effect on thyroid function, especially when there are obvious related symptoms. In addition, patients with thyroid diseases should follow specific management principles during the epidemic period.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; interaction; metabolism; thyroid disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Potential mechanisms for effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections on thyroid. HPT, hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid; NTIS, nonthyroidal illness syndrome; SAT, subacute thyroiditis.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Potential mechanisms for effects of anti–novel coronavirus disease 2019 drugs on thyroid. NEFA, nonesterified fatty acid; PKC, protein kinase C; TGB, thyroxine-binding globulin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zaki AM, van Boheemen S, Bestebroer TM, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA. Isolation of a novel coronavirus from a man with pneumonia in Saudi Arabia. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(19):1814-1820. - PubMed
    1. Ding Y, Wang H, Shen H, et al. The clinical pathology of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): a report from China. J Pathol. 2003;200(3):282-289. - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Accessed December 23, 2020. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
    1. Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020;323(13):1239-1242. - PubMed
    1. Ziegler CGK, Allon SJ, Nyquist SK, et al. ; HCA Lung Biological Network . SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 is an interferon-stimulated gene in human airway epithelial cells and is detected in specific cell subsets across tissues. Cell. 2020;181(5):1016-1035.e19. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms