# Emerging evidence from China indicates SARS- COV-2 may be associated with newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: a clinical study of 54 patients with COVID-19 complicated by newly diagnosed disease

## TL;DR

This study finds that older COVID-19 patients with newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis experience more fatigue and thyroid issues, and longer viral clearance is linked to this condition.

## Contribution

The study identifies clinical characteristics and risk factors for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in older COVID-19 patients.

## Key findings

- Patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis were older and more likely to experience fatigue compared to other groups.
- Subclinical hyperthyroidism was more common in the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis group.
- Prolonged viral clearance time was an independent risk factor for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in COVID-19 patients.

## Abstract

To date, 11 cases of COVID-19-associated newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) have been reported. To investigate the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) complicated by newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and to inform clinical management.

A total of 369 COVID-19 patients were enrolled and divided into three groups: Negative for Antibodies (NA group, n=288), HT group (n=54), and Thyroid Autoimmune (TA group, n=27). The clinical characteristics and influencing factors of the HT group were analyzed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0 statistical software.

Patients in the HT group were older than those in the NA group [72.5 (63.5, 79.0) vs. 69 (58.3, 76.0) years, P = 0.031]. Fatigue was significantly more common in the HT group compared to both the TA group and the NA group (53.7% vs. 22.2%, and 53.7% vs. 24.0%, all P<0.001). The incidence rates of subclinical hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in the HT group were significantly higher than in the NA group (29.6% vs. 13.9%, P = 0.020; 7.4% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.017). Multivariate analysis identified prolonged viral clearance time (OR = 1.136) as an independent risk factor for COVID-19 complicated by HT. Advanced age (OR = 0.944) and low FT3 (OR = 4.233) were identified as independent risk factors for increased mortality risk in COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 patients complicated by HT are typically older, with fatigue being a distinguishing clinical manifestation. They are more prone to thyroid dysfunction, with subclinical hyperthyroidism being the predominant early thyroid function abnormality. Prolonged viral clearance time was identified as a factor associated with newly diagnosed HT.