Concurrent Subacute Thyroiditis and Graves' Disease After COVID-19: A Case Report.

There are many reports of subacute thyroiditis (SAT) that occurred after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but no such case has been reported in Korea. Moreover, the simultaneous occurrence of SAT and Graves' disease (GD) is rare. Here, we describe a patient who developed SAT and GD after the second episode of COVID-19. A 27-year-old woman with no known history of thyroid disease presented with fever, upper respiratory tract symptoms, and painful neck swelling. Thyroid function tests revealed thyrotoxicosis, and thyroid ultrasound showed heterogeneous echogenicity of enlarged thyroid glands. Her initial clinical presentation was consistent with SAT after viral infection, with typical neck tenderness and spontaneous improvement of thyrotoxicosis without antithyroid drug use. However, this case had some atypical features, such as an elevated thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin level, relapse of thyrotoxicosis in short-term follow-up, and increased Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake, suggesting the coexistence of GD. About two months after methimazole (15 mg/day) was prescribed, she was lost to follow up again. We report the first case of unusual co-occurrence of SAT and GD following COVID-19.

Subacute Thyroiditis after COVID-19: A Literature Review.

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT), potentially caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, has been reported as a complication of COVID-19 since 2020. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of SAT after COVID-19 remain incompletely defined. Therefore, we aimed to collect and survey case reports of SAT after COVID-19. We performed a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The keywords and MeSH terms used for the searches were "subacute thyroiditis" and "COVID-19." A total of 38 patients from 26 case reports, case series, and letters on SAT associated with COVID-19 were included and analyzed. The most frequent SAT symptom was neck pain (27 cases), followed by fever (22 cases). Of the 25 cases with information on the duration between onset of COVID-19 symptoms and onset of SAT symptoms, the shortest was simultaneous occurrence, and the longest was 4 months. In most cases, patients developed SAT at several days or weeks after the onset of COVID-19. All patients with SAT recovered with no severe complications or sequelae. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of SAT development in patients with neck pain and fever following COVID-19. Further research is necessary to determine the relationship between SAT and COVID-19.

Incidence of Subacute Thyroiditis During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea Using the National Health Insurance Service Database.

Background: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a thyroid disease initiated by viral infection. Whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection can cause SAT is unclear. This study investigated changes in the nationwide incidence of SAT during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional population-based study. Data regarding SAT and related viral diseases, including COVID-19, from 2017 to 2020 were collected from the National Health Insurance Service and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency databases. Results: In a total of 15,447 patients, 2484 men and 12,963 women diagnosed with SAT from 2017 to 2020 were included in this study. The incidence of SAT was significantly higher in 2020 than in 2017-2019 (8.30 vs. 7.27 per 100,000 persons, p < 0.001), while the incidence of SAT-related respiratory viral diseases, except for COVID-19, markedly decreased in 2020. The peak age of SAT incidence in 2020 was 50-59 years, and the women-to-men ratio was 5.4 (similar to that in 2017-2019). Corticosteroids were prescribed more often (72% vs. 58%, p < 0.001), and the prescription rate exceeding 1 month was significantly higher (45% vs. 40%, p < 0.01) in 2020 than in 2017-2019. Conclusions: The incidence of SAT increased in 2020 in association with COVID-19. A diagnostic approach to COVID-19 needs to be considered in patients with SAT during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Case report: persistent fever after SARS-CoV-2 infection]. / Fallbericht: Persistierendes Fieber nach SARS-CoV-2-Infektion.

A 44-year-old man had persistent fever following a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Because of progressive sinus tachycardia, thyroid hormones were measured which showed hyperthyroidism. Thyroid sonography revealed enlargement of the thyroid gland with hypoechoic areas with blurred margins. We diagnosed subacute granulomatous thyroiditis associated with SARS-CoV­2 infection and initiated therapy with prednisolone. This therapy resulted in rapid improvement of the patient's clinical condition and complete remission after three months.

Subacute thyroiditis after COVID-19. / Subakutt tyreoiditt etter covid-19.

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the pandemic we have learned much about acute organ complications due to COVID-19, but we are still only beginning to understand the post-infection complications. CASE PRESENTATION: A man in his forties was diagnosed with subacute thyroiditis after a mild COVID-19 infection. This is an important differential diagnosis to consider if after a period of improvement, an infected patient develops fever, pain around the region of the thyroid (throat/neck) and/or symptoms of hyperthyroidism. INTERPRETATION: Subacute thyroiditis is thought to be initiated by a viral infection or postviral inflammatory process, often in patients with a history of an upper respiratory infection typically two to eight weeks prior to the onset of thyroiditis. The condition is believed to be triggered by an antigen created by the virus. Subacute thyroiditis must be on the list of possible differential diagnoses in patients with COVID-19 whose condition deteriorates after a period of improvement.

Subacute Thyroiditis and Heart Failure in a Patient Presenting With COVID-19.

A 67-year-old male was admitted with shortness of breath and diarrhea. His COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test was positive, and he was found to be in acute heart failure. Troponin levels were elevated, echocardiogram showed ejection fraction of 24%, and his electrocardiogram was normal. Inflammatory markers were elevated. Further testing revealed suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone and elevated free thyroxine (T4). Differential diagnosis at this point included possible myocarditis from the viral illness, exacerbation of heart failure from the viral infection or from thyrotoxicosis was considered. Patient's heart failure improved with initiation of heart failure therapies; however, biochemically, his thyroid function tests (TFTs) did not improve, despite empiric methimazole. Thyroid antibody tests were unremarkable. Thyroid ultrasound showed mildly enlarged thyroid gland with no increased vascularity and 5-mm bilateral cysts. Thyroid dysfunction was attributed to subacute thyroiditis from COVID-19, methimazole was tapered, and prednisone was initiated. The patient's TFTs improved. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that clinicians keep a broad differential in individuals presenting with heart failure, and obtaining baseline TFTs may be reasonable. Rapid treatment of the underlying thyroiditis is important in these patients to improve the cardiovascular outcomes. In our experience, steroid therapy showed a rapid improvement in the TFTs.

Subacute thyroiditis in a patient infected with SARS-COV-2: an endocrine complication linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is an inflammatory thyroid disorder of viral origin, generally preceded by an upper respiratory tract infection. Since the disorder is self-limiting, it is frequently underdiagnosed. However, the disease should not be overlooked since the associated thyrotoxicosis may worsen the clinical course of concomitant disorders (e.g., respiratory distress) and long-term sequelae, such as autoimmune hypothyroidism, have been reported. METHODS: Here we describe a woman who developed SAT with thyrotoxicosis after SARS-COV-2 infection. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) symptoms were mild and the patient was managed with no specific treatment and recovered rapidly. RESULTS: Six weeks after the onset of the upper respiratory tract infection, the patient developed pain and tenderness in the anterior cervical region, fatigue, tremors, and palpitations. Physical examination revealed mild tremors of the extremities, a diffuse and painful goiter, and enlarged and tender cervical and submandibular lymph nodes. At biochemical evaluation, TSH was suppressed, FT3 and FT4 were high, and serum thyroglobulin was markedly increased (188 pg/mL; n.v. 0-40). Thyroid scintigraphy showed markedly reduced 99mTc-perthecnetate uptake in the gland. All findings were consistent with SAT, and treatment with oral prednisone (25 mg/day as the starting dose, gradually tapered) was started. Under the corticosteroid therapy, there was progressive resolution of symptoms and signs, and, within 4 weeks, all thyroid functional tests and inflammatory indexes normalized. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be aware of thyroid manifestations potentially associated with COVID-19.