Thyroid Autoimmunity and SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological culprit of COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19), can enter the cells via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which has been found in several tissues including in endocrine organs, such as the ovaries, testes, pancreas, and thyroid. Several thyroid disorders have been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection [subacute thyroiditis (SAT), thyrotoxicosis, and non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS)] and, in part, they are believed to be secondary to the local virus replication within the gland cells. However, as documented for other viruses, SARS-CoV-2 seems to interfere with several aspects of the immune system, inducing the synthesis of autoantibodies and triggering latent or new onset autoimmune disease (AID), including autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), such as Hashimoto Thyroiditis (HT) and Graves’ disease (GD). Several mechanisms have been hypothesized to explain this induction of autoimmunity by SARS-CoV-2 infection: the immune system hyper-stimulation, the molecular mimicry between the self-antigens of the host and the virus, neutrophils extracellular traps, and finally, the virus induced transcriptional changes in the immune genes; nonetheless, more evidence is needed especially from large, long-term cohort studies involving COVID-19 patients, to establish or reject this pathogenetic relationship.