Prevalence of Hypothyroidism Among Patients With COVID-19 in Tehran City, Iran

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Numerous comorbidities are involved in the severity of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Hypothyroidism’s impact on COVID-19 is yet to be adequately understood. Thyroid disorders are thought to play a role in the development and progress of COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the frequency of hypothyroidism among COVID-19 patients in hospitalized patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Tehran City, Iran. Demographic information and other specified data related to our research, mainly comorbidities, were collected using a structured questionnaire from electronic patient health records. A total of 493 medical records of COVID-19 patients were used for this study according to the inclusion criteria. Subsequently, the data were analyzed with SPSS, version 25, using descriptive and analytic statistics. Results: The prevalence of hypothyroidism was 13.2% (n=65) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This was higher (13.4% vs 2.3%) compared with the prevalence of hypothyroidism in the general Iranian population. Overall, in patients with hypothyroidism, about 21 patients (32.3%) expired, of whom 14 patients (66.7%) were female, and 7 (33.3%) were male. In these patients, no statistically significant difference was observed between the expired and discharged groups (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 1.04; 95% CI 0.59-1.83; P=0.87). As a result, hypothyroidism was not linked to an increased risk of death. Conclusion: Hypothyroidism in hospitalized COVID-19 patients appears to be low. However, it seems more prevalent in the female gender but without significant adverse effects on the risk of mortality from this disease.