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. 2021 Dec;44(12):2735-2739.
doi: 10.1007/s40618-021-01599-0. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Thyroid dysfunction in COVID-19 patients

R Baldelli  1 , E Nicastri  2 , N Petrosillo  2 , L Marchioni  2 , A Gubbiotti  3 , I Sperduti  4 , P Di Giacinto  1 , L Rizza  1 , F Rota  1 , M Franco  5 , A Lania  6 , G Aimaretti  7 , G Ippolito  2 , P Zuppi  1
Affiliations

Thyroid dysfunction in COVID-19 patients

R Baldelli et al. J Endocrinol Invest. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: "Non thyroidal illness syndrome" (NTIS) or "euthyroid sick syndrome" (ESS) is a possible biochemical finding in euthyroid patients with severe diseases. It is characterized by a reduction of serum T3 (fT3), sometimes followed by reduction of serum T4 (fT4). The relationship between thyroid hormones levels and mortality is well known and different studies showed a direct association between NTIS and mortality. The sudden spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV 2) infection (COVID-19) and its high mortality become a world healthcare problem. Our aim in this paper was to investigate if patients affected by COVID-19 presented NTIS and the relationship between thyroid function and severity of this infection.

Methods: We evaluated the thyroid function in two different groups of consecutive patients affected by COVID-19 with respect to a control group of euthyroid patients. Group A included patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia while patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) for acute respiratory syndrome formed the group B. Group C identified the control group of euthyroid patients.

Results: Patients from group A and group B showed a statistically significant reduction in fT3 and TSH compared to group C. In group B, compared to group A, a further statistically significant reduction of fT3 and TSH was found.

Conclusions: COVID-19 in-patients can present NTIS. FT3 and TSH serum levels are lower in patients with more severe symptoms.

Keywords: COVID-19; Euthyroid sick syndrome; Non-thyroidal illness syndrome; SARS-CoV 2; Thyroid function; Thyroid hormones.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
fT3 values in group A (in-patients), group B (ICU-patients) and group C (controls); *p < 0.002 and **p < 0.0001 vs group C; °p < 0.004 vs group A)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
fT4 values in group A (in-patients), group B (ICU-patients) and group C (controls); p = NS among group A, B and C
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
TSH values in group A (in-patients), group B (ICU-patients) and group C (controls); *p < 0.04 and **p < 0.0001 vs group C; °p < 0.02 vs group A
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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