Thyroid Hormone and Kidney Function

There are several interactions between thyroid hormone and kidney functions. In fact, thyroid hormones are involved in the development of the kidney and they aid in waste excretion by improving the kidney’s filtering ability. Evidence suggests that thyroid hormone replacement therapy may help improve kidney function and prevent various kidney disorders:
1. Thyroid hormone deficiency is strongly associated with kidney disease and impaired kidney function. [278-300]
2. In patients with overt hypothyroidism, T4 treatment improves kidney function. [301-305]
3. T4 treatment in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and chronic kidney disease (CKD) significantly lowers the rate of decline in glomerular filtration rate (kidney’s ability to filter waste). [306-307]
4. In patients with hypothyroidism, T4 replacement therapy reverses edema (fluid build-up) associated with kidney disease. [308]
5. In patients with various kidney diseases, T4 treatment alleviates urine protein loss. [309-313]
6. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy attenuates the rate of decline in kidney function in CKD patients with hypothyroidism, suggesting that the treatment may delay reaching end-stage renal disease in these patients. [314-318]
7. In patients with hypothyroidism and CKD, thyroid hormone therapy not only preserves kidney function better, but is also an independent predictor of kidney outcomes. [319]
8. In elderly patients and those with kidney disease, thyroid hormone therapy preserves kidney function by improving glomerular filtration rate. [320-323]
9. In patients with kidney impairment secondary to hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone replacement therapy reverses kidney dysfunction. [324-325]
10. In patients with primary hypothyroidism, T4 administration normalizes glomerular filtration rate and blood flow to the kidney. [326-332]
11. In patients with kidney impairment caused by hypothyroidism, T4 treatment improves water excretion by the kidney. [333]
12. In patients with kidney disease, T4 replacement therapy improves kidney function by reducing creatinine, a waste product of muscle breakdown. [334]