Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Polyfunctionality and Heterogeneity in Immune Responses
Published on: March 8, 2024
The cytokine storm and thyroid hormone changes in COVID-19
L Croce1,2,3, D Gangemi4, G Ancona4
1Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
Background:
COVID-19 is now a worldwide pandemic. Among the many extra-pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19, recent evidence suggested a possible occurrence of thyroid dysfunction.
Purpose:
The Aim of the present review is to summarize available studies regarding thyroid function alterations in patients with COVID-19 and to overview the possible physio-pathological explanations.
Conclusions:
The repercussions of the thyroid of COVID-19 seem to be related, in part, with the occurrence of a "cytokine storm" that would, in turn, induce a "non-thyroidal illness". Some specific cytokines and chemokines appear to have a direct role on the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis. On the other hand, some authors have observed an increased incidence of a destructive thyroiditis, either subacute or painless, in patients with COVID-19. The hypothesis of a direct infection of the thyroid by SARS-Cov-2 stems from the observation that its receptor, ACE2, is strongly expressed in thyroid tissue. Lastly, it is highly probable that some pharmaceutical agents largely used for the treatment of COVID-19 can act as confounding factors in the laboratory evaluation of thyroid function parameters.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...
Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
Regulation of Hormone Secretion
Humoral...

