Thyroid Function Tests and Status of Thyroid Autoantibodies in Covid-19 Patients

Overview

COVID-19 infection causes a hypersensitive immune reaction and widespread inflammation through cytokines in various organs of the body, especially the lungs. This cytokine-mediated widespread inflammation can also affect the thyroid gland, causing thyroiditis and impaired thyroid functions. The researchers evaluated thyroid function tests and thyroid autoantibodies in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection. Researchers excluded patients on intensive care therapy and patients with known thyroid disease. The researchers examined the relationship of thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies to COVID-19 disease, white blood cells, neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio, c reactive protein, fibrinogen, procalcitonin, ferritin, and D-dimer stages in these patients. Researchers compared changes in thyroid hormones and autoantibodies in people without COVID-19 infection and without thyroid disease.

The coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) virus, which can cause severe acute respiratory syndrome through droplet, has caused the global Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 infection can be asymptomatic as well as lead to severe illness and even death. This virus causes a hypersensitive immune reaction and varying degrees of widespread inflammation through cytokines in various organs of the body, mainly the lungs. Cytokine-mediated widespread inflammation caused by the virus may also affect the thyroid gland and thyrocytes, causing thyroiditis and impairment of thyroid functions. Thus, it may cause changes in thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies. In study, the researchers found that in patients who were symptomatic with COVID-19 infection and who were hospitalized, thyroid function tests such as serum thyrotropin (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), anti-thyroglobulin evaluated antibodies (TGAb). The investigators did not recruit patients in intensive care and patients with known thyroid disease. Researchers looked at the association of patients' thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies with white blood cells, neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio, c reactive protein, fibrinogen, procalcitonin, ferritin, D-dimer from hospital archives. The researchers determined how the thyroid hormones and autoantibodies of patients with COVID-19 infection were compared with healthy individuals without COVID-19 infection and thyroid disease.