A Cause of a Lowered eGFR that is Reversible

If you’ve recently had a metabolic panel done and you’re concerned about your eGFR levels, I want you to be aware of something that doctors never told me about & most aren’t aware of. First, please note that there are numerous factors which can temporarily impact your creatinine levels and eGFR. The eGFR is calculated to tell you approximately how well your kidneys are functioning.

One Reversible Cause of Lowered eGFR and Kidney Function

Hypothyroidism can be a cause of your lowered kidney function & low eGFR levels. Creatinine is a normal byproduct of muscle metabolism that the kidneys excrete. Thyroid hormone provides energy to every organ in the body, including the kidneys. With insufficient levels of thyroid hormone, a hypothyroid person’s kidneys cannot perform at a normal rate. This leads to a decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and reduced clearance of creatinine, so creatinine levels start to rise.

A conclusion of a study on this, stated “Thyroid hormone therapy not only preserved renal function better, but was also an independent predictor of renal outcome in chronic kidney disease patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.” If you’re a thyroid patient and your creatinine is either high (hypothyroid) or low (hyperthyroid), then your thyroid dose may need to be adjusted. A “normal” TSH does not mean your body has sufficient thyroid hormone, because TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. T3 and T4 are the thyroid hormones, and they may need to be higher in the reference range to normalize your kidney function if your creatinine is high.

Without getting too in depth, if a doctor tests your TSH alone – that is not an accurate indicator of thyroid function. I have a post here on that. Even if you have thorough thyroid testing and the results are normal – it still does not mean your thyroid is working well. There are normal lab ranges and optimal ones. The levels need to be optimal for your body to be working well. The only doctors who have been able to truly help me with this type of thing were not endocrinologists – but were functional medicine doctors who understood the complexities of thyroid disorders. The post I just linked to will explain how to navigate and figure out if your thyroid levels are optimal or not, what tests should be done and what to do if the doctor won’t help you. Unfortunately, most people who have thyroid disorders don’t even know it. The symptoms overlap with everyday life – from weight gain, fatigue to anxiety and restlessness – depending on the specific thyroid issue.

More About What Doctors Fail to Tell their Patients About Kidney Disease & How You Can Prevent It

I created an in depth video, based on extensive research – on what doctors are failing to tell their patients about kidney disease. I highly recommend that you check it out here & share it with loved ones & subscribe to my youtube channel if you haven’t already.