Does Euthyroid Sick Syndrome Have an Effect on the Outcome of Critically Ill Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients?

Objective: Euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) can be used as an outcome predictor in critically ill patients. Especially, plasma triiodothyronine is considered to have prognostic effects on intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes. In this study, we attempted to evaluate ESS existence and its effects on critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients’ mortality.

Methods: All patients who were admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of COVID-19 between March 15, 2020, and June 1, 2021, were screened. Patients were grouped according to their thyroid hormone levels for ESS, and these groups were compared for their ICU outcomes.

Results: Ninety-one patients met the inclusion criteria with a median age of 68 [57-77] years, and 64 (70%) of them were male. The difference was not found between the groups according to acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II and sequential organ failure assessment scores (P=.792 and P=.940, respectively). The median admission PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 115 [82-187], and groups were similar according to PaO2/FiO2 ratio (P=.827). Totally 32 (35%) patients died in the ICU. In patients with ESS, 20 (35%) patients died, and in patients without ESS, 12 (35%) patients died. Mortality was not different between the 2 groups (P=.98). Moreover, in Kaplan–Meier’s analyses, mortality was also similar (P=.838).

Conclusion: Patients’ characteristics and mortality rates were found to be similar in critically ill COVID19 patients with and without ESS in our study. In this respect, we could not reveal a relationship between ESS and increased mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Cite this article as: Ferliçolak L, Gökçay Canpolat A, Nurlu O, Altıntaş ND. Does euthyroid sick syndrome have an effect on the outcome of critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients? Endocrinol Res Pract. 2023;27(4):186-190.