Kidney failure in the elderly due to hypothyroidism: a case report

Abstract

CONTEXT: Hypothyroidism is more prevalent in the elderly and its symptoms can be confused with other changes due to aging. Doctors caring for the elderly need to be attentive to this diagnostic possibility. This case report case is notable not only because it presents a rare complication of hypothyroidism (kidney failure), but also because patients with chronic kidney failure of any etiology may suffer increased renal dysfunction as a result. CASE REPORT:This was a 66-year-old male outpatient with a history of generalized edema over the preceding eight years, with periods of worsening, that was intractable to treatment with diuretics. Physical examination revealed bradycardia (heart rate: 52 bpm), pallor, dry and infi ltrated skin, macroglossia, edema in the lower limbs and a palpable thyroid with hard consistency. Laboratory tests showed: creatinine 3.9 mg/dl; urea 95 mg/dl; potassium 6.0 mEq/l; thyroid-stimulating hormone > 100 mUI/ ml; triiodothyronine 0.01 ng/dl; free thyroxin 0.01 ng/dl; antithyroglobulin 31 IU/ml (normal values: < 40 IU/ml); antithyroperoxidase 85 IU/ml (normal values: < 15 IU/ml); creatinine clearance 30 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ; and proteinuria 122 mg/24 h. After fi ve months of treatment with thyroxin (100 mcg/day), the patient returned without any symptoms and presented the following test results: urea 48 mg/dl; creatinine 1.4 mg/dl; creatinine clearance 67 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ; potassium 4.2 mEq/l; thyroid-stimulating hormone: 20.85 mUI/ml; free thyroxin: 0.71 ng/dl. Hypothyroidism alone can cause renal impairment or worsen renal function in preexisting illnesses. Its treatment can stabilize the clinical condition, or possibly improve it.KEY WORDS: Aged. Kidney failure. Hypothyroidism. Hashimoto disease. Dialysis. INTRODUCTIONHypothyroidism has high prevalence among the elderly. Among individuals over 60 years old, it affects 10% of women and 2% of men.

Acute Kidney Injury and Hypothyroidism in a Patient with CKD

“…However, renal dysfunction from hypothyroidism can also occur in the absence of rhabdomyolysis. In these cases, the AKI reversed with thyroid hormone replacement and reestablishment of euthyroid state [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]; renal biopsies were carried out in only two of these reports [18,21] and were reported as unremarkable. We present a patient with AKI in CKD resulting from severe hypothyroidism, in the absence of myopathy, and with the renal biopsy suggesting findings seen in hypothyroid states.…”