ASSOCIATION OF THYROID STATUS WITH APOPTOTIC ACTIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH SARS-COV-2 INFECTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-9067-2026-31-5Keywords:
thyroid hormones, caspase-3, COVID-19, MIS-C, childrenAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to new mechanisms of disease progression in both adults and children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and increased apoptotic activity in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 139 children with COVID-19, 21 with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and 20 without SARS-CoV-2 infection were examined. Thyroid status (thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4)) and apoptotic activity (caspase-3 level) were assessed in all participants. Significant differences in thyroid parameters were found between children with COVID-19, MIS-C, and healthy controls. Caspase-3 levels were highest in patients with MIS-C (6.07 (4.05; 8.93) ng/mL) and significantly higher than those in the COVID-19 group (2.15 (1.90; 4.29) ng/mL) and control group (1.04 (0.78; 1.86) ng/mL) (p<0.05). A negative correlation was found between fT3 (rs=-0.35; p 0.003) and fT4 (rs -0.27; p 0.028) levels and caspase-3 in children with COVID-19. The highest caspase-3 levels were seen in patients in the lowest fT3 фтв fT4 quartile (Q1), while the lowest levels were found in those in the highest quartile (Q4). Multivariate regression analysis showed that fT3 was a significant predictor of caspase-3 levels (β=-0.39; p=0.001), while TSH, fT4, and clinical group assignment had no significant effect (p>0.05). These findings suggest a link between thyroid status and apoptotic activity in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing further insight into the systemic changes caused by COVID-19.
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