Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and thyroid disease. An update

• Published in: Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 525 - 532
• Main Authors: Brix, Thomas H., Hegedüs, Laszlo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-10-2021
• Subjects: THYROID: Edited by Angela M. Leung
• ISSN: 1752-296X; 1752-2978
• DOI: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000654

Purpose of review Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with excess morbidity and mortality in patients with hypertension and diabetes but little is known about thyroid diseases. Thus, our goal was to review the literature with respect to: (i) Are patients with underlying hypo- or hyperthyroidism at increased risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection? (ii) do underlying hypo- and hyperthyroidism impact the prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection? (iii) does SARS-CoV-2 infection cause de novo thyroid dysfunction? Recent findings Patients with hypo- or hyperthyroidism do not have an increased risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2, and a diagnosis of hypo- or hyperthyroidism is not associated with a worsened prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with subsequent thyrotoxicosis, euthyroid sick syndrome, subacute thyroiditis, and autoimmune thyroid disease. Summary These findings suggest that receiving treatment for thyroid dysfunction does not per se impact the patients’ risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection, or the management of those who already contracted it. Additional studies with larger numbers of patients and long-term follow-up are required in order to clarify whether patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are more or less prone to develop thyroid dysfunction and/or thyroid autoimmunity than patients recovering from other virus infections.