Covid booster and subacute thyroiditis

Hi all, I'm new to this group and don't know much about thyroid issues at the moment. I went to the doctor's with a solid nodule in my throat and some swelling of the thyroid. GP thinks it's a goitre but I had a feeling that it might be something caused by the covid booster (I'm not anti-vaxx and really didn't expect any kind of reaction as my booster was the same as the initial 2 jabs.) A quick google shows quite a number of published papers on subacute thyroiditis in response to the covid (and sometimes flu) vaccine and my symptoms and timescale from the booster match. The GP has referred me for more tests so no diagnosis yet. Just wondering if this has been discussed on here or if anyone has any experience with this?

[RedApple Administrator]

Welcome to the forum Sams127

We have had three polls running here since the Covid-19 vaccination rolled out. You might find the comments worth browsing through.

Working backwards, the Booster poll is here healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

The poll for the second vaccination is here healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

And the first poll is here healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[userotc in reply to RedApple]

A very quick glance through the booster poll doesn't indicate any standard guidance for sufferers/posters to complete a yellow card (or equivalent for their country) which I believe is essential. Apologies if I missed it.

[Hidden in reply to userotc]

I had a quick look through the yellow card report. There are surprisingly few reports of thyroid issues, given the number of published papers there are on this. I also can't see it mentioned on the NHS site or in the Pfizer leaflet which is worrying.

[userotc in reply to Hidden]

I suspect thats because either most people dont complete a y/c for various reasons or are not even aware of its existence. So my estimate is that the true number of related adverse reactions may be >>10 times those shown. Its an imperfect method in many ways but all we have.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to userotc]

userotc, The poll is there for members to report their experiences to other members.

Yellow card reporting is something we constantly mention on the forum. It's a speciality of admin helvella 😀

There's been a pinned post about it 'MHRA Covid-19 Vaccines and Yellow Card Links for a long time. healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[userotc in reply to RedApple]

I have indeed communicated recently with helvella re yellow cards 😀. Personally I think that an appropriate reference on the poll would be useful ref to the pinned post.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to userotc]

You probably have a good point there 😀

[Hidden in reply to RedApple]

Hi RedApple, can I just check, to me the polls look as if they're for people who had pre-existing thyroid conditions? I've never had anything like this before? Would be very interested in any experiences of treatment or progression of this as my GP seems a bit clueless...

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Yes, given that this is a thyroid support forum, we did make an assumption that the vast majority of members responding to the polls would likely already have a thyroid condition.

So the actual poll questions may seem biased in that direction. I just pointed you at them in case there's anything in the comments below the polls that might be of interest to you. And you are free to add your own comment there too.

'my GP seems a bit clueless...'

Most GPs are pretty clueless about thyroid conditions, as you will soon begin to realise if you hang around this forum for a while. 😀

Any possible relationship between Covid and/ or vaccines with thyroid disorders will likely be way beyond a GP's scope, at least at this stage. This is one very good reason for using the Yellow Card reporting system. healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Alejandrita17]

Hi, I had subacute Thyroiditis 4 years ago. After that, I became permanent hypothyroid. In my case, it was the mumps virus. I have heard that Covid might do the same in some people. Hope you get well!

[jackyc]

Hi Sams127. I have half a thyroid, not on any medication and tested yearly.

Since last summer I started having sore throat on and off, I had my two vaccines during that time and a flu jab in September which gave me flu symptoms for about 3 days.

I found that after that my throat was continually sore and I had pain radiating to my left ear ( the side I still have thyroid on) so I went to my doctor about it, my throat was swabbed ( nothing showed up) full bloods were then ordered which took 2 weeks to get an appointment and in the mean time my thyroid started to hurt. Blood test results were normal so I’ve been referred to ENT and am awaiting appointment. I like you have thoughts that maybe the Covid vaccine and it flu vaccine have upset my thyroid.

[Hidden in reply to jackyc]

That's so interesting. I had pain in my shoulder which I thought was related to a visit to a chiropractor the week before but the GP linked it to the thyroid. We need to keep in touch. I've had blood taken today and am waiting for an ultrasound appointment.

[Elisabeth52]

Hello Sam127,This is my first foray into this site and you are my first comment. Forgive me I know little nor have the lingo. I had/have thyroiditis. I possibly had very mild and manageable thyroid issues previously (a decade back) that resolved but then in early 2020 I got Covid (or rather a mysterious achey exhausting respiratory illness for which there were no tests nor vaccines at the time) and about 4 months later I had a hyperthyroid storm and afterwards got sore nodules and have had them and seemingly intermittent hypothyroidism ever since. Not a picnic. No healthcare either. I don't believe it's vaccine induced, but who knows....here we are and no one seems to know a thing. Just here to say, you're not alone...if you learn anything, let me know! I have had 3 vaccines since, if anything, my thyroid issues clear a bit for a few weeks- go figure!

[Gigi216]

Hi Sam, if you go to Elaine Moores website she has a forum where she answers questions. I’ve seen numerous people say after vaccination they had issues Elaine herself did too but she still says get one because it should improve within a few months. Most of the people on her forum had an autoimmune thyroid flare up