The Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients with Pre-Existing Thyroid Dysfunction: A Nationwide Study

Abstract

To which extent the pre-existing hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism has an impact on coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in patients with pre-existing thyroid dysfunction. A retrospective cohort of patients with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 infection (n = 14 966) from March 11 to May 30, 2020, was established using the database of the Turkish Ministry of Health. We compared the morbidity and mortality rates of COVID-19 patients with pre-existing hypothyroidism (n = 8813) and hyperthyroidism (n = 1822) to those patients with normal thyroid function (n = 4331). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with mortality. Mortality rates were higher in patients with hyperthyroidism (7.7 %) and hypothyroidism (4.4 %) than those with normal thyroid function (3.4 %) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively). Pre-existing hyperthyroidism was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality (OR 1.54; 95 % CI, 1.02-2.33; p = 0.042) along with advanced age, male gender, lymphopenia and chronic kidney disease (p < 0.001 for all). Although a potential trend was noted, the association between pre-existing hypothyroidism and mortality was not significant (OR 1.36; 95 % CI, 0.99-1.86; p = 0.055). In conclusion, this study showed an association between pre-existing hyperthyroidism with higher COVID-19 mortality. A potential trend towards increased mortality was also observed for hypothyroidism. The risk was more pronounced in patients with hyperthyroidism.