Covid-19 is a highly contagious disease that has been affecting the whole world for two years with serious consequences on health.
Long Covid Syndrome is the consequence that the disease has on the health of people who have contracted the virus, with a long-term consequence. In an article we wrote about the so-called “mental fog” that worries even months after the infection.
Or the brain damage that those who have contracted Covid may have. In short, that there is a correlation between Covid-19 and diseases even after a year from the infection is now established by many studies.
Covid-19: thyroid damage even after a year of infection, a study says
One study found a correlation between Covid-19 and thyroid damage even one year after infection.
The thyroid it is a gland located in the front of the neck. It produces hormones that regulate certain functions of the body. Among these: digestion, heart rate, metabolism, body temperature. If the thyroid does not work well, there is an increase or a decrease in the production of hormones. Thyroid dysfunction leads to certain diseases such as:
- hyperthyroidismwhen the thyroid produces too many thyroid hormones;
- hypothyroidismwhen the thyroid does not produce thyroid hormones;
- thyroiditiswhen the thyroid gland becomes inflamed causing a reduction in hormone production.
In addition, the tiroide di Hashimoto an autoimmune disease in which cells in the body attack and damage the thyroid. As a result, the production of thyroid hormones is reduced.
To diagnose the thyroid dysfunction some tests are necessary, such as physical, blood, ultrasound or thyroid scintigraphy. Treatment depends on the type of disease and may include drugs or surgery.
I study
Recently some researchers found a link between COVID-19 and the thyroid. Even after a year of the illness. This would require further scrutiny by healthcare professionals. The study was presented at 24th European Congress of Endocrinology in Milan.
The doctor Ilaria Mullerthe lead author of the research, allegedly found that Covid-19 changed the functioning of the thyroid by causing inflammation called thyroiditis.
The research began by examining the thyroid gland 100 patients hospitalized for Covid. When the disease ended, the researchers found that thyroid levels had returned to normal, but an inflammation, thyroiditis, had appeared. One year later examining the same patients through a thyroid ultrasound, the researchers found that thyroiditis was still visible in half of them.
The results of the study, according to the authors, could be useful for healthcare professionals to evaluate thyroid function in patients with severe Covid. Be that as it may, according to Dr. Muller, the effects of this disease on the thyroid gland appear to be mild and transient. Despite this, they will be needed further checks by your doctor.
(The information in this article is for informational purposes only and concerns scientific studies published in medical journals. Therefore, it does not replace the consultation of a doctor or specialist, and should not be considered for formulating treatments or diagnoses).