Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Previous studies suggest that patients' thyroid status might directly impact the course of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of the study was to determine the clinical profile of COVID-19 patients with hypothyroidism and compare it with that of COVID-19 patients without hypothyroidism. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: The study was conducted in a tertiary healthcare centre in Tamil Nadu between May and June 2021. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 117 patients admitted with hypothyroidism and COVID-19 as well as 117 age and Gender matched COVID-19 patients without hypothyroidism. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data regarding the demography, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, method of diagnosis of COVID-19, computed tomography (CT) severity score, Interleukin 6 (IL-6), D-dimer, oxygen requirement, number of days in hospital and outcome were collected for both groups. Data analysis was conducted, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study comprised 234 patients over two months, from May to June 2021. Distribution of presenting symptoms showed that the hypothyroidism group presented with a higher incidence of fever (66.67%), loose stool (18.80%) and myalgia (7.69%). Results show that RTPCR+, O(2) Requirement, death, D-dimer, IL-6, number of days admitted as well as CT-severity did not show any statistically significant differences (p>0.05) between both groups. The outcomes also showed that both groups reported four mortalities. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study help conclude that the hypothyroidism status of a COVID-19 patient is not associated with higher severity of clinical symptoms, deranged laboratory values as well as mortality. FUNDING: None declared.