Hyperthyroidism and Covid-19, Early or Late: A Case Series from South-West Nigeria

Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put the world on its toes for more than 2 years. It is caused by a novel virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Initial symptoms associated with the virus were mainly respiratory in nature but over time, varied presentations have been noted in persons infected with the disease. Research has shown that COVID-19 can cause both pulmonary and systemic inflammation, which may result in multi-organ dysfunction. The effects of COVID-19 on metabolism including glucose regulation and diabetes mellitus have been highlighted in literature and it is now known that persons with poorly controlled diabetes will most likely have a poor clinical outcome when infected with SARS-CoV-2. Biochemical abnormalities of the thyroid hormones during and post-COVID infection have been noted by some authors, however, there is scanty information available in sub-Saharan Africa. The essence of this case series is to document the experience of an endocrine facility as regards thyroid abnormalities observed in persons who presented with confirmed COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 related symptoms without confirmation by PCR.