Balasubramaniam Suhasini, Suresh Kumar Aparna, Pandian Pravin, Raviganesh Pravin Kumar, Perumpallipatty Kumarasamy Sowmiya, Raju Bharathi Priya, Selvaraj Balaji, Srinivasan Amitesh Krishna, Balaji Sangeetha, Ramasubramanian Swaminathan
Radiodiagnosis, Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Internal Medicine, Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2024 May 5;16(5):e59699. doi: 10.7759/cureus.59699. eCollection 2024 May.
Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has underscored the multifaceted impact of the virus on human health, extending beyond the respiratory system to involve other organ systems, including the endocrine system. Emerging evidence suggests a notable interaction between COVID-19 and thyroid function, characterized by alterations in thyroid hormone levels and structural changes within the gland. This study aims to explore the association between thyroid density on CT imaging and lung involvement in patients with COVID-19, potentially offering new insights into the systemic effects of the virus. Methodology A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 1,066 patients with COVID-19 who underwent chest CT scans without contrast at Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate, Chennai, which was designated as the COVID-19 care center from April to June 2021. Thyroid density and lung involvement were quantitatively assessed, and their correlation was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the Kruskal-Wallis H test and Shapiro-Wilk test for normality. Results The study population predominantly exhibited normal thyroid density (749, 70.3%), followed by altered (212, 19.9%), nodular (104, 9.8%), and a single instance (0.1%) of absent thyroid density. Despite variability in lung involvement across different thyroid density categories, statistical analysis revealed no significant association between thyroid density and the extent of lung involvement in patients with COVID-19. Conclusions This study found no significant correlation between thyroid density and lung involvement in patients with COVID-19, suggesting that thyroid density on CT imaging may not serve as a reliable marker for lung involvement in this population. Further research is warranted to explore the complex interactions between COVID-19 and thyroid function, as well as the potential implications for patient management and prognosis.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）大流行凸显了该病毒对人类健康的多方面影响，其影响范围超出呼吸系统，还涉及包括内分泌系统在内的其他器官系统。新出现的证据表明，2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）与甲状腺功能之间存在显著相互作用，其特征为甲状腺激素水平改变以及甲状腺内结构变化。本研究旨在探讨COVID-19患者CT成像上的甲状腺密度与肺部受累情况之间的关联，这可能为该病毒的全身效应提供新的见解。
对2021年4月至6月在钦奈奥曼杜拉尔政府庄园政府医学院接受非增强胸部CT扫描的1066例COVID-19患者进行了回顾性横断面分析，该医学院被指定为COVID-19护理中心。对甲状腺密度和肺部受累情况进行了定量评估，并使用描述性和推断性统计方法分析了它们之间的相关性，包括Kruskal-Wallis H检验和用于正态性检验的Shapiro-Wilk检验。
研究人群中甲状腺密度主要表现为正常（749例，70.3%），其次为改变（212例，19.9%）、结节状（104例，9.8%）以及1例（0.1%）甲状腺密度缺失。尽管不同甲状腺密度类别中肺部受累情况存在差异，但统计分析显示COVID-19患者的甲状腺密度与肺部受累程度之间无显著关联。
本研究发现COVID-19患者的甲状腺密度与肺部受累之间无显著相关性，这表明CT成像上的甲状腺密度可能不是该人群肺部受累的可靠标志物。有必要进一步研究以探索COVID-19与甲状腺功能之间的复杂相互作用，以及对患者管理和预后的潜在影响。
