ABSTRACT
The symptoms associated with empty sella syndrome (ESS) include headache, giddiness, vomiting, visual field deficits, and endocrine problems, as well as the radiological appearance of an enlarged sella turcica. This case report highlights a 45-year-old female who had a COVID-19 infection 2 months back and presented with chronic headache, giddiness, and lethargy having persistent hyponatremia later diagnosed as empty sella syndrome on brain magnetic resonance imaging. In this case, we tried to correlate all of these clinical and radiological features as COVID-19 sequelae due to post-Covid hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction.Copyright © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the enveloped RNA beta-severe acute respiratory syndromecoronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 may have a variable presentation, from an asymptomatic disease to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multi-organ failure. Impairment of endocrine systems may also occur in COVID-19 patients and thyroid gland involvement was reported in a not negligible number of patients, as documented in several studies since the pandemic outbreak. Abnormal thyroid function tests (TSH and/or thyroid hormones) are frequently reported in COVID-19 patients with variable prevalence and mild to moderate severity in available studies. Keys for understanding this dilemmaare introduced in this overview. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Pieces of clinical evidence suggest that coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) viral infection results in hormonal imbalance leading to changes in menstrual cycles of women. This study has been conducted with the aim to determine the effect of COVID-19 infection and its vaccine on menstrual cycle patterns. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study to observe any changes in menstrual cycle after COVID-19 infection or after its vaccination. A Web Link collector generated the survey‘s universal resource locator (URL) and was sent via social media messages to females in the general population as well as healthcare workers. Results: Menstrual cycles remained unaltered in 154/228 (67.5%) of women post-COVID-19 infection irrespective of its severity. Out of 228, one-third of women, i.e., 74/228 (33%), reported changes in their menstrual patterns, with respect to either cycle length, duration of flow, number of pads used, pain during menses, or premenstrual symptoms (PMSs). Menstrual blood loss was decreased by 14% (32/228) and 18%;42 women complained of increased flow during menses. Twenty percent of women who had severe infections had menorrhagia. Out of the 590 women who completed the questionnaire, 436 (73.8%) were vaccinated against COVID-19 and 154 (26%) were unvaccinated. After vaccination, 290/436 around one-third of women (66.5%) had normal menstrual cycle, 21 women (4.8%) had decreased menstrual blood flow, and 18 women (4.1%) reported increased menstrual flow. Conclusion: COVID-19 infection affected the menstrual cycle of only one-third of women and this effect was temporary. This effect might be due to stress and anxiety affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA). More studies are needed to support this effect.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The COVID-19 epidemic has severely affected the life of people around the world. Periods of stress and psychological distress caused by this pandemic can affect a woman's menstrual cycle. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on women's reproductive health. This narrative review was performed with aim to evaluate the effect of coronavirus on different aspects of each part of this axis and its relationship with women's health considering hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Methods: In this narrative review study, the databases of Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase were searched using the keywords of "Female Reproductive System", "Hypothalamus", "Pituitary" and "Ovary" with the keywords of "COVID-19" and "SARS-COV-2" with a time limit from 2020 onwards. Then, the studies were summarized conceptually and the findings were categorized and interpreted in terms of the effect of coronavirus on the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovary. Results: The potential neuronal invasion by the coronavirus could had led to its direct effect from the beginning to the end of this axis. Although more studies have examined the effect of COVID-19 on the regulation of sex hormones in women with COVID-19, most studies on the hypothalamic and pituitary axis have been based on genetic simulations. Conclusion: Coronavirus can have a wide impact on all organs involved in the female reproductive system. Over time, our understanding of the possible effects of this disease on female fertility will increase.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the coronavirus, since its start in Wuhan a city in China has spread like a wild fire and created havoc all over the globe. Initially, the disease was thought to be causing only respiratory complication, but gradually it was found to be causing multiorgan complication. Due to the hypercoagulable property of coronavirus, it has shown neurological, cardiological and endocrine complication. Recently, the effect of the virus on endocrine system has also been noted. Evidence has shown that COVID-19 can hamper the hypothalamo-pituitary axis resulting in altered adrenal response to stress. The immune-mediated damage to the endocrine glands results in subacute thyroiditis. The presence of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE 2) receptors on various tissues could be the cause of this immune mediated damage. COVID-19 has also precipitated hyperglycaemia and in few cases, uncovered the insulin resistance in previously undiagnosed cases. It is crucial to have knowledge about the impact of endocrine system, as it is the powerhouse of the body.