India on Friday reported 17,070 Covid cases and 23 fatalities. The cumulative caseload is 4,34,69,234 (1,07,189 active cases) and 5,25,139 fatalitiesWorldwide: Over 547 million cases and over 6.33 million fatalities.Vaccination in India: Over 1.97 billion doses. Worldwide: Over 11.74 billion doses.TODAY’S TAKECovid-19 may affect the thyroid glandThe thyroid function is crucial to the human body’s metabolism, growth and development. By continuously releasing a stable amount of thyroid hormones into the bloodstream, it aids in the regulation of numerous body functions.But a severe bout of Covid-19 disease can impact thyroid function through a variety of mechanisms. And researchers at the University of Milan, Italy, have now found that the effects of the infection on the thyroid gland can linger on for more than a year.Why it matters: During moderate-to-severe infection, the occurrence of thyroiditis – inflammation of the thyroid gland – plays an important role in thyroid dysfunction. This is a concern because the long-term consequences of thyroiditis are yet unknown.The study: Presented during the 24th European Congress of Endocrinology, held in Milan recently, the study looked at more than 100 patients admitted to the hospital with severe Covid, analysing their thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and other indicators.The team then tracked individuals with thyroid dysfunction for a year in order to better characterise such thyroid involvement and track its progression over time.The findings: Thyroiditis occurred frequently in the Covid positive population but the thyroid function, as well as inflammatory indicators, returned to normal in nearly all instances shortly after recovery, the researchers said. However, even after 12 months, thyroiditis regions remained visible at thyroid ultrasounds in half of the participants, even if reduced in size.The thyroid uptake of technetium or iodine, an indicator of thyroid function, was still reduced in four out of six individuals at nine months – a hallmark of thyroiditis – although it had mostly recovered after 12 months.The jury is still out on whether patients with Covid-19-associated thyroiditis are at risk of becoming hypothyroid in the long term.TELL ME ONE THINGBreakthrough infections can increase risk of complicationsOver two years into the pandemic, an estimated 66% of the world’s population has been infected at least once. But many people have tested positive two or even three times, and counting.A new study suggests that reinfections could have a significant long-term impact on one’s immune system. The preprint is currently under review by Nature Portfolio journal.Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine and VA Saint Louis Health Care System investigated 257,427 participants who had survived one bout of Covid and 38,926 participants who had experienced reinfections.In the reinfected group, 12.29% had two infections, 0.76% of them had been infected thrice, and 0.08% of those people had four or more infections. The median time distribution between the first-second infection was 79 days and 65 days between the second and third bouts. The team found that there was a higher risk of hospitalisation and lasting health complications after every reinfection by the virus, regardless of the person’s vaccination status. “Risks were lowest in people with one infection, increased in people with two infections, and highest in people with three or more infections,” the researchers said in a statement.Reinfections can have severe consequences for the lungs. Other health complications ranged from cardiovascular issues and blood clotting to kidney, neurological and musculoskeletal problems.Follow news that matters to you in real-time.
Join 3 crore news enthusiasts.Written by: Rakesh Rai, Sushmita Choudhury, Jayanta Kalita, Prabhash K Dutta
Research: Rajesh Sharma
