Description
While there’s nothing new about the potential for viral driven thyroid disturbance, both acutely during infection and chronically following ‘recovery’, what is new and making news in the aftermath of the Covid 19 pandemic is the particular predilection this virus has shown for this gland. Thanks to its naturally high expression of ACE2 receptors (far more than seen in the lungs for example) the potential impacts, covering a wide spectrum of thyroid dysfunction & disease, have been observed and documented. This ranges from unprecedented rates of Euthyroid Sick Syndrome & Thyrotoxicosis during the acute phase to either activation (in an individual with a personal hx) or provocation (no previous hx or diagnosis) of autoimmune thyroid conditions as a result of either the infection or vaccination. Although there will be much more research to come that will help us clarify and confirm some of this detail, the data already in existence is undeniable and warrants our attention.
