Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on global health and economies, resulting in millions of infections and deaths. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the effect of antifibrotic agents (nintedanib and pirfenidone) on 1-year mortality in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure.Methods: Data from 61 healthcare organizations in the TriNetX database were analyzed. Adult patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure were included. Patients with a pre-existing diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis before their COVID-19 diagnosis were excluded. The study population was divided into an antifibrotic group and a control group. Propensity score matching was used to compare outcomes, and hazard ratios (HR) for 1-year mortality were calculated.Results: The antifibrotic group exhibited a significantly lower 1-year mortality rate compared to the control group. The survival probability at the end of the study was 84.42% in the antifibrotic group and 69.87% in the control group. The Log-Rank test yielded a p-value of less than 0.001. The hazard ratio was 0.434 (95% CI: 0.264–0.712), indicating a significant reduction in 1-year mortality in the antifibrotic group. Subgroup analysis demonstrated significantly improved 1-year survival in patients receiving nintedanib treatment and during periods when the Wuhan strain was predominant.Discussion: This study is the first to demonstrate a survival benefit of antifibrotic agents in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure. Further research and clinical trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of these antifibrotic agents in the context of COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure.

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 has been associated with dysfunction in multiple endocrine organs, including the thyroid gland. While evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 may influence thyroid function and promote oncogenesis through inflammation and cytokine storms, its role in thyroid cancer remains unclear. This study investigates whether COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer development. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX global federated health research database, encompassing data from 151 healthcare organizations. Adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 between 1 December 2019 and 31 December 2023, were included and compared to a matched cohort without COVID-19. Patients with prior thyroid cancer history or who had received COVID-19 vaccination were excluded in both groups. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed for age, gender, and overweight/obesity status. The primary outcome was that new-onset thyroid cancer was diagnosed at least one year after COVID-19 diagnosis. Hazard ratios were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models, and subgroup analyses were performed based on age, gender, thyroid function status and treatment modalities. Results: After matching, a significantly higher thyroid cancer incidence was observed between the post-COVID and non-COVID groups. Subgroup analysis revealed a significantly higher risk of thyroid cancer development following COVID-19 diagnosis in patients who developed hyperthyroidism (HR 2.14, 95% CI: 1.04–4.46) or hypothyroid-ism (HR 1.83, 95% CI: 1.12–2.97) compared with the non-COVID population. Male patients also exhibited a higher risk of thyroid cancer after COVID-19 (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02–1.46). For patients with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, those who had prior COVID-19 exhibited a relatively higher risk of developing thyroid cancer than those without a history of COVID-19 (HR 4.387, 95% CI: 2.08–9.24 for hyperthyroidism; HR 2.58, 95% CI: 1.58–4.22 for hypothyroidism). Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 exhibited an increase in thyroid cancer risk, with specific subgroups—male adults and those with post-infectious thyroid dysfunction—also exhibiting increased risk. These findings suggest a potential relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and thyroid oncogenesis, warranting further prospective research.