Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: SARS-COV-2 is a new infection with little known consequences. As data accumulated, it became known that the thyroid gland is also affected as a result of infection. During the reconvalescence period, some patients developed severe thyrotoxicosis, which did not have the classic clinical picture of subacute thyroiditis or autoimmune.

Aim: To study the course of subacute thyroiditis in patients after infection with COVID-19.

Materials and methods: The study included 53 cases of subacute thyroiditis during 2020-2021. Group 1 - 13 patients with subacute thyroiditis and Covid-19 within 6 months, group 2 - 40 patients with subacute thyroiditis. The analysis of indicators was carried out: complaints at the first visit, hormonal status (T4, TSH), complete blood count, thyroid volume, nodes.

Results and discussion: Subacute thyroiditis is more often registered in women (69.2% (9) and 92.5% (37) in groups 1 and 2, respectively, compared with men (30.8% (4) and 7.5% (3) in groups 1 and 2, respectively), (P<0.05) The most common complaints in group 1: pain in the projection of the thyroid gland 30.4% (7), palpitations 13% (3), sweating 13% (3 cases); in group 2: pain in the projection of the thyroid gland 34.5% (19), fever 16.4% (9x), weakness 12.7% (7), palpitations 9.01% (5 cases), no complaints in 17.5%(7). The change in thyroid function is comparable in 2 groups: TSH in group 1 is lowered in 36.3% (4), normal in 36.3% (4), increased in 27.4% (3); in group 2: TSH decreased in 32.5% (13), normal in 40% (16), increased in 27.5% (11). fT4 in group 1: normal in 50% (3), increased in 33.3% (2), decreased in 16.7% (1); in group 2: decreased by 22.5%(9), normal in 52.5%(21), increased in 25%(10) (P>0.05). High ESR was significantly more often registered in group 1 (80% (8), compared with group 2 62.5% (25) (P<0.05) Nodular formations in the thyroid gland in group 1 were detected in 38.5% (5), in group 2 -in 100% (40).

Conclusions: 1. Subacute thyroiditis is more common in women than in men in both groups. 2. Patients with COVID-19 are not characterized by fever in subacute thyroiditis. 3. The frequency of occurrence of thyroid status deviations is comparable in both groups. 4. In group 1, ESR increased more often than in the second group. 5. Nodular formations were significantly more often registered in patients without a history of COVID-19 infection.