COVID-19 Alter Thyroid Function Tests During the Acute Phase

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to evaluate thyroid function tests in patients diagnosed with COVID-19, previously normal thyroid function. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted using the data of patients who visited COVID-19 outpatient clinics for the first time and had normal thyroid function in their medical history. All patients were divided into two groups based on their age and gender. Group I consisted of patients whose PCR test was positive for the first time, while Group II (control group) consisted of patients whose test was negative. The study examined the TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), fT3 (free tri-iodothyronine), fT4 (free thyroxine), albumin, and total protein (TP) test parameters of all patients in both groups and compared the results. Statistical significance was assessed using SPSS 20.0, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The study included 1360 patients, with 356 in Group I and 1004 in Group II. In Group I, TSH levels were low, but fT3 and fT4 levels were significantly high. Additionally, albumin and TP values were significantly lower in Group I. A moderate positive correlation was found between albumin and fT3 levels, as well as between albumin and TP levels, in Group I. There was no statistically significant difference in age or gender distribution between the groups Conclusions: There is a significant increase in thyroid function tests when COVID-19 infection is first diagnosed. However, detailed pathophysiological studies are needed to reveal the underlying reasons for this increase.

Keywords

• Albumin
• COVID-19
• thyroid-stimulating hormone
• thyroxine
• triiodothyronine

Covıd-19 Akut Dönemde Tiroid Fonksiyon Testlerini Bozuyor

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, geçmişte tiroid fonksiyonu normal olan COVID-19 tanısı almış hastalarda tiroid fonksiyon testlerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Materyal ve Metot: Bu araştırma, COVID-19 polikliniklerine ilk kez başvuran ve tıbbi geçmişinde normal tiroid fonksiyonu olan hastaların verileri kullanılarak yürütülmüştür. Tüm hastalar yaş ve cinsiyetlerine göre iki gruba ayrılmıştır. Grup I, PCR testi ilk kez pozitif çıkan hastalardan oluşurken, Grup II (kontrol grubu) testi negatif çıkan hastalardan oluşmuştur. Çalışmada, her iki gruptaki tüm hastaların TSH (tiroid uyarıcı hormon), sT3 (serbest tri-iyodotironin), sT4 (serbest tiroksin), albumin ve toplam protein (TP) test parametreleri incelenmiş ve sonuçlar aralarında karşılaştırılmıştır. İstatistiksel anlamlılık SPSS 20.0 kullanılarak değerlendirilmiş ve 0,05'ten küçük p değeri anlamlı kabul edilmiştir. Bulgular: Çalışmaya 1360 hasta dahil edilmiş olup, Grup I'de 356 ve Grup II'de 1004 hasta yer almıştır. Grup I'de TSH düzeyleri düşüktü, ancak sT3 ve sT4 düzeyleri anlamlı derecede yüksekti. Ek olarak, albümin ve TP değerleri Grup I'de anlamlı derecede düşüktü. Grup I'de albümin ve sT3 düzeyleri arasında ve albümin ve TP düzeyleri arasında orta düzeyde pozitif korelasyon bulundu. Gruplar arasında yaş veya cinsiyet dağılımında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark yoktu. Sonuç: COVID-19 enfeksiyonu ilk teşhis edildiğinde tiroid fonksiyon testlerinde anlamlı bir artış vardır. Ancak, bu artışın altında yatan nedenleri ortaya çıkarmak için ayrıntılı patofizyolojik çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Albümin
• COVID-19
• tiroid stimüle edici hormon
• tiroksin
• triiyodotironin

Kaynakça

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