COVID‑19 induced hypoparathyroidism: A case report

Georgakopoulou,Vasiliki Epameinondas; Avramopoulos,Pantelis; Papalexis,Petros; Bitsani,Aikaterini; Damaskos,Christos; Garmpi,Anna; Venetikou,Maria S.; Paramythiotis,Daniel; Karlafti,Eleni; Sklapani,Pagona; Trakas,Nikolaos; Spandidos,Demetrios A.

doi:10.3892/etm.2022.11276

COVID‑19 induced hypoparathyroidism: A case report

Authors:
- Vasiliki Epameinondas Georgakopoulou
- Pantelis Avramopoulos
- Petros Papalexis
- Aikaterini Bitsani
- Christos Damaskos
- Anna Garmpi
- Maria S. Venetikou
- Daniel Paramythiotis
- Eleni Karlafti
- Pagona Sklapani
- Nikolaos Trakas
- Demetrios A. Spandidos
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Affiliations: Pulmonology Department, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athen, 11527 Athens, Greece, Unit of Endocrinology, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece, First Department of Propedeutic and Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece, Renal Transplantation Unit, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece, Laboratory of Anatomy‑Pathological Anatomy and Physiology Nutrition, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece, First Propedeutic Department of Surgery, AHEPA University Hospital of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece, Emergency Department, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece, Department of Cytology, Mitera Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece, Department of Biochemistry, Sismanogleio Hospital, 15126 Athens, Greece, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
Published online on: March 23, 2022 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2022.11276
Article Number: 346
Copyright: © Georgakopoulou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Low levels of serum calcium, elevated levels of serum phosphorus and absent or abnormally low levels of serum parathyroid hormone characterize hypoparathyroidism, a rare endocrine deficiency illness. Hypoparathyroidism is caused by injury to the parathyroid gland as a result of surgery or autoimmune disease. In addition, hypoparathyroidism may develop due to genetic causes or infiltrative diseases. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) infection is characterized by multi‑organ involvement, including the dysfunction of endocrine glands. Previous studies have demonstrated that SARS‑CoV‑2 infection induces endocrine tissue damage via various mechanisms, including direct cell damage from viral entry to the glands by binding to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptors and replication, vasculitis, arterial and venous thrombosis, hypoxic cell damage, immune response and the cytokine storm. The effects of the new coronavirus, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) on the parathyroid glands have received limited attention. Hypoparathyroidism has been observed in a small number of individuals as a result of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection. The present study describes the case of a patient with primary hypoparathyroidism induced by COVID‑19. Clinicians should also keep in mind that, despite the fact that SARS‑CoV‑2 has no known tropism for the parathyroid glands, it can result in primary hypoparathyroidism and decompensation of old primary hypoparathyroidism.

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