Tweet
Cureus
. 2022 Jul 31;14(7):e27533.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.27533. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Symptomatic Bradycardia Manifesting as Acute Hypothyroidism Following COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report
Jaydip Desai 1 , Arsh N Patel 1 , Courtney L Evans 1 , Molly Triggs 1 , Fulton Defour 2
Affiliations
- PMID: 36060398
- PMCID: PMC9427429
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.27533
Abstract
The role of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus and associated autoimmune phenomenon behind pathology development has been a scientific mystery since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Early on, scientific studies showed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) being linked to many pathological consequences including blood clots, neurocognitive dysfunction, and cardiomyopathy. We present a case of acute hypothyroidism in an 88-year-old female with no previous history of thyroid dysfunction or disease. The eventual workup revealed a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of greater than 100,000 milli-international units per liter (mlU/L) and a thyroxine (free T4) level of less than 0.10 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). At the time of presentation, she was found to have a positive COVID-19 test despite being vaccinated. She was started on a levothyroxine injection, which led to eventual symptom resolution. Our aim of this case report is to highlight the possibility of her acute hypothyroidism being triggered by the onset of COVID-19.
Keywords: covid 19; endocrine; infectious disease; internal medicine; thyroid.