COVID-19 autopsy cases: detection of virus in endocrine tissues.
J Endocrinol Invest
; 45(1): 209-214, 2022 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34191258
PURPOSE: The SARS-CoV-2 genome has been detected in a variety of human samples including blood, urine, semen, and faeces. However, evidence of virus presence in tissues other than lung are limited. METHODS: We investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 could be detected in 50 autoptic specimens of endocrine organs from 29 patients who died of COVID-19. RESULTS: The virus was detected in 25 specimens including ten abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue samples (62%), six testes (67%), and nine thyroid (36%) samples. The analysis of multiple endocrine organ samples obtained from the same patients showed that, in virus-positive cases, the viral genome was consistently detected in all but two matched specimens. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that the virus spread into endocrine organs is a common event in severe cases. Further studies should assess the rate of the phenomenon in clinically mild cases. The potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on endocrine functions should be taken into consideration.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Endocrine Glands
/
SARS-CoV-2
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COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
Limits:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
J Endocrinol Invest
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Country of publication: