Conclusion. Thyroid abnormalities increased the risk of COVID-19 composite poor outcomes and were influenced by the patient's age. Abnormal thyroid and hypothyroidism, but not hyperthyroidism, were associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes.
In a study with 50 patients confirmed with moderate to critical COVID-19 with no history of thyroid disease, Chen et al. reported altered thyroid function in more than 60% of patients (93).
As I mentioned, the common cause of underactive thyroid is Hashimoto's, which occurs when your immune system attacks your thyroid. When your thyroid is under constant attack, it cannot make enough thyroid hormones. The good news is that an underactive thyroid does not weaken your immune system.
Therefore, patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and COVID-19 can be hypothesized to have an augmented immune response leading to an increased risk of cytokine storm and more severe COVID-19 infection.
Impact of Hypothyroidism on the All-Cause Mortality
The crude mortality rate among hypothyroid patients was 8.66 per 1,000 person-years, compared with 6.53 per 1,000 person-years in the control cohort.
However, with proper treatment, you should be able to lead a normal, healthy life. If an underactive thyroid isn't treated, it can lead to complications, including heart disease, goitre, pregnancy problems and a life-threatening condition called myxoedema coma (although this is very rare).
Myxedema crisis (also called myxedema coma), the most severe form of hypothyroidism, is rare. It occurs when thyroid hormone levels get very, very low.
Should patients with thyroid disease get the vaccine? People with thyroid conditions, including autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid cancer, should receive the COVID vaccine if they are medically stable. If you have a history of allergic reactions, you should be aware of special precautions that might be needed.
Older adults are at highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. More than 81% of COVID-19 deaths occur in people over age 65. The number of deaths among people over age 65 is 97 times higher than the number of deaths among people ages 18-29 years.
COVID-19 is often more severe in people 60+yrs or with health conditions like lung or heart disease, diabetes or conditions that affect their immune system. Do your part to protect those who are at most risk.
Persistent nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain can be caused by hypothyroidism.
Eating foods that have large amounts of iodine—such as kelp, dulse, or other kinds of seaweed—may cause or worsen hypothyroidism. Taking iodine supplements can have the same effect. If you are pregnant, you need more iodine because the baby gets iodine from your diet.
The thyroid gland needs the mineral iodine to make thyroid hormones. Iodine is found mainly in seafood, seaweed, plants grown in iodine-rich soil and iodized salt. Too little iodine can lead to hypothyroidism. Too much iodine can make hypothyroidism worse in people who already have the condition.
Some previous studies have identified cases of COVID-19-related primary hypothyroidism. Only 5.2% of 287 patients hospitalised in a non-intensive care setting were found to have hypothyroidism in the THYRCOV study.
COVID-19 is thought as a causative factor for Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis either as a new onset or as a flare-up the disease in remission in the reported cases. Graves' disease is an autoimmune thyroid disorder that is triggered by different environmental factors such as viruses in susceptible subjects.
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder. This means your immune system starts to attack itself. It makes antibodies against the thyroid gland. Another cause may be treatment for an overactive thyroid gland.
The risk of developing dangerous symptoms of COVID-19 may be increased in people who are older. The risk may also be increased in people of any age who have other serious health problems — such as heart or lung conditions, weakened immune systems, obesity, or diabetes.
People with moderate or severe COVID-19 should isolate through at least day 10. Those with severe COVID-19 may remain infectious beyond 10 days and may need to extend isolation for up to 20 days.
People with no symptoms can also spread the coronavirus to others. By the 10th day after COVID symptoms begin, most people will no longer be contagious, as long as their symptoms have continued to improve and their fever has resolved.
If you are allergic to polyethylene glycol (PEG), you should not get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. If you are allergic to polysorbate, you should not get Novavax or J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.
Overt Hypothyroidism: clear hypothyroidism characterized by an increased TSH and a decreased T4 level. All patients with overt hypothyroidism are usually treated with thyroid hormone pills.
People who should not have the Pfizer vaccine
anaphylaxis after exposure to any component of the vaccine, including polyethylene glycol (PEG) myocarditis and/or pericarditis attributed to a previous dose of the vaccine. any other serious adverse event attributed to a previous dose of an mRNA(Pfizer or Moderna) vaccine.
Ultimately, the standard of care is to treat into the goal range for TSH, which is typically between 0.5 and 4.5 or 5. A TSH level of 10 mIU/L or higher is typically indicative of hypothyroidism. A TSH level of 4.5 to 10 mIU/L is considered indicative of subclinical hypothyroidism.
The most common symptoms in adults are fatigue, lethargy, cold intolerance, weight gain, constipation, change in voice, and dry skin, but clinical presentation can differ with age and sex, among other factors. The standard treatment is thyroid hormone replacement therapy with levothyroxine.
You may feel nervous, moody, weak, or tired. Your hands may shake, your heart may beat fast, or you may have problems breathing. You may be sweaty or have warm, red, itchy skin. You may have more bowel movements than usual.