Thyroid status and nephron loss--a study in patients with chronic renal failure, end stage renal disease and/or on hemodialysis.

Thyroid function was measured in 30 healthy subjects and 84 patients with various degrees of nephron loss (GRF: 70 +/- 15 m/min, 30 +/- 16 ml/min, 10 +/- 7 ml/min and 2.1 +/- 1.3 ml/min). A low T3 and T4 syndrome is evident when GRF is reduced to 30 +/- 16 ml/min while a blunted TSH response is detected earlier in the course of nephron loss. T3 response to TRH was normal and FT4 was not affected by renal dysfunction. The data indicate that in nephron loss hypothalamic-pituitary abnormalities occur.