The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, like other cold viruses, can cause painful inflammation of the thyroid gland. Anyone who suffers from persistent pain in the neck and jaw area after a viral infection should therefore consult a doctor, the Professional Association of German Nuclear Medicine eV (BDN).
Viruses that cause respiratory infections can, in rare cases, promote thyroid inflammation. Doctors also speak of “subacute thyroiditis de Quervain (SAT)”. The disease can be mild, but it is usually very painful: “Common complaints are severe pain in the neck and throat, which can radiate into the lower jaw and ear region,” reports Dr. medical Norbert Czech from the BDN. A very typical sign of the disease: “It hurts as soon as you press lightly against the thyroid gland from the outside.” Fever, muscle and joint pain and fatigue also occur. Overall, this could lead to a severe feeling of illness, according to Czech. Women are five times more likely to be affected than men. If there is a suspicion of SAT, those affected should consult a nuclear medicine doctor, advises Czech. This can usually detect the disease from inflammation and thyroid levels in the blood as well as an examination of the thyroid gland using ultrasound and scintigraphy.
Medical support is not only useful to alleviate the symptoms, but also to identify and treat a possible permanent hypothyroidism in good time. Because the SAT usually runs in phases: an overactive thyroid is followed by a short period of normal thyroid function, until an underactive thyroid sets in. “This subfunction usually returns to normal,” says Czech. However, if this is not the case, lifelong intake of thyroid hormones becomes necessary.
If the thyroid inflammation is mild, anti-inflammatory painkillers, which can be given for up to six months, will help. In severe cases, the doctor also prescribes cortisone. “In most cases, the symptoms disappear within a few weeks,” says Czech. However, the medication should not be stopped too early. “Then there’s almost always a relapse,” warns Czech. It is better to gradually reduce the drug and check the thyroid values at regular intervals.