COVID-19 Infection May Cause Thyroid Dysfunction

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is sweeping the globe and may infect various organs aside from the lungs. We explored the serum thyroid function of the patients with COVID-19.Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved 652 patients including 334 COVID-19 patients and 318 age- and sex- matched controls without COVID-19. COVID-19 patients were divided into three groups based on their condition: 142 moderate, 107 severe, and 85 critical. Patient data were collected through electronic records containing patients’ general information and the first test results of laboratory tests including thyroid hormone (TH) and thyrotropin (TSH) levels after admission.Findings: Relative to the control group, the COVID-19 group had lower serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3) and TSH and higher levels of free thyroxine (FT4) (all p Interpretation: Serum thyroid dysfunction appear at the early stage of COVID-19 and are mainly manifested as NTIS. The incidence of NTIS and a low FT3/FT4 ratio could be predicators of poor prognosis of COVID-19. Early detection of TH levels may help predict the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.Funding Statement: Central Hospital of Wuhan (Hubei Province, China)Declaration of Interests: All other authors declare no competing interests.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Commission of the Central Hospital of Wuhan under the criteria of emerging infection diseases and the requirement for informed consent was waived because of the retrospective nature of the study.