Levothyroxine linked to short-term creatinine improvement in hypothyroid inpatients

This small retrospective cohort reinforces that some renal dysfunction in hypothyroidism may be functional and reversible with thyroid hormone replacement, but the responder-based design prevents any causal conclusion.

levothyroxinethyroid hormone replacementhypothyroidismrenal dysfunctionchronic kidney diseaseeGFRserum creatinineretrospective cohortendocrinologythyroid-renal axis Endocrinology / Diabetes / Obesity

Background Information

Thyroid hormone therapy reverses renal dysfunction in hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is linked to renal dysfunction, which may be reversible with thyroid hormone replacement, affecting patient outcomes. Levothyroxine therapy significantly reduced serum creatinine from 114.88 ± 25.61 to 79.92 ± 5.64 μmol/L and improved estimated glomerular filtration rate from 51.42 ± 16.32 to 75.04 ± 14.52 mL/min/1.73 m². The study indicates renal dysfunction in hypothyroidism might be reversible but is limited by its small sample size, retrospective nature, and potential confounding. Thyroid hormone replacement may improve renal function in hypothyroid patients.

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Authors: Zhao T, Zhang N, Tian Y, Yang Z

Citation: Zhao T, Zhang N, Tian Y, et al. Thyroid hormone replacement is associated with improvement in renal dysfunction in patients with hypothyroidism: a retrospective observational study. Frontiers in endocrinology. 2026;17:1840954. doi:10.3389/fendo.2026.1840954

Article Links: PubMed · Journal / DOI · Free Full Text (PMC)

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