An evaluation of thyroid hormone status and oxidative stress in undialyzed chronic renal failure patients.

Chronic renal failure (CRF) patients on prolonged dialysis have been found to have significant alteration in their thyroid status, but little is known about the same in undialyzed CRF patients. Oxidative stress has been implicated as the key player in altering the levels of thyroid hormone in euthyroid sick syndrome. This study was performed to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress and thyroid status in undialyzed CRF patients. A case control study was performed on 20 undialyzed CRF patients and 20 control subjects. There was a significant decrease in the levels of T3, T4, total protein and albumin levels in CRF patients when compared to control. There was a significant increase in the level of malondialdehyde and total antioxidant status in CRF patients when compared with control subjects. The present study confirms oxidative stress along with altered thyroid status in CRF patients.