Thyrotropin Levels in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019: Assessment during Hospitalization and in the Medium Term after Discharge

Background: The objectives of this study were (1) to compare TSH levels between inpatients with critical versus non-critical coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), and (2) to describe the status of TSH levels three months after hospitalization.

Methods: We collected data on adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Amiens University Hospital. We compared TSH levels between inpatients with critical (intensive care unit admission and/or death) versus non-critical COVID-19. Thereafter, survivors were invited to return for a three-month post-discharge visit where thyroid function tests were performed, regardless of the availability of TSH measurement during hospitalization.

Results: Among 448 inpatients with COVID-19, TSH assay data during hospitalization were available for 139 patients without prior thyroid disease. Patients with critical and non-critical forms of COVID-19 did not differ significantly with regard to the median (interquartile range) TSH level (0.96 (0.68-1.71) vs. 1.27 mIU/L (0.75-1.79), p = 0.40). Abnormal TSH level was encountered in 17 patients (12.2%); most of them had subclinical thyroid disease. TSH assay data at the three-month post-discharge visit were available for 151 patients without prior thyroid disease. Only seven of them (4.6%) had abnormal TSH levels. Median TSH level at the post-discharge visit was significantly higher than median TSH level during hospitalization.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that COVID-19 is associated with a transient suppression of TSH in a minority of patients regardless of the clinical form. The higher TSH levels three months after COVID-19 might suggest recovery from non-thyroidal illness syndrome.