A Randomized Controlled Trial of Thyroid Hormone Supplementation in Hemodialysis Patients (THYROID-HD)

Hypothyroidism, defined by elevated thyrotropin (TSH) levels, is a common endocrine complication in chronic kidney disease patients, and prior evidence shows that higher TSH levels, even within the normal laboratory range, are strongly associated with impaired quality of life and cardiovascular disease in this population. Levothyroxine is one of the most frequently prescribed medications in chronic kidney disease, yet its efficacy and safety in these patients have not been well-studied. Hence, this study will investigate 1) whether levothyroxine improves patient-centered (e.g., health-related quality of life, physical performance, strength) and 2) cardiovascular (e.g., coronary artery calcification, endothelial function, systolic function) outcomes in dialysis patients, and 3) if thyroid hormone replacement exerts classic metabolic effects (i.e., changes in body fat and resting energy expenditure) in this population.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Hypothyroidism; Hemodialysis; Thyroid; Functional Disturbance
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebos; Drug: Levothyroxine Sodium

Detailed Description

Data spanning over three decades show that hypothyroidism is highly prevalent in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population, affecting 25% of those receiving dialysis therapy. In the general population hypothyroidism, defined by elevated thyrotropin (TSH) levels, has been associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality, but until recently there was a paucity of data regarding its prognostic implications in CKD. Our research has been the first to show a link between high-normal TSH levels and worse HRQOL Short Form 36 scores in dialysis patients, particularly among subscales centered on physical health (e.g., physical function, energy/fatigue). Our studies have also advanced the field by showing that elevated TSH levels even within the "normal" range (>3.0mIU/L) are associated with heightened risk of CV disease and death across multiple dialysis cohorts. However, there remains considerable controversy as to 1) whether thyroid dysfunction is causally associated with adverse patient-centered and CV outcomes, and 2) if elevated TSH levels represent thyroid functional disease vs. non-thyroidal illness in CKD. While levothyroxine is one of the most commonly prescribed medications in CKD, little is known about its efficacy in this population.

To address these knowledge gaps, we propose to conduct a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial among 336 hemodialysis patients with high-normal or subclinical hypothyroid range serum TSH levels to determine the effects of 24 weeks (i.e., 6 months) of levothyroxine vs. placebo on 1) HRQOL Short Form 36 (SF36) Physical Component Score and 2) coronary artery calcifcation (CAC) progression (co-primary endpoints).

As secondary endpoints, we will also examine 1) HRQOL measured by the ThyPRO survey, 2) physical performance, 3) endothelial function, 4) vascular calcification inhibitor levels, and 5) total body fat percentage. In a sub-study of 108 hemodialysis patients, we will also examine exploratory secondary endpoints of 1) muscle strength, 2) systolic function, and 3) resting energy expenditure.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 336
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Connie Rhee, MD, MSc; Phone Number: 714-456-5142; Email: crhee1@uci.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Orange, California, United States, 92868
      • Recruiting
      • University of California Irvine
      • Contact: Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh; Phone Number: 7144565142; Email: kkz@uci.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-75 years old
• Received hemodialysis at least four weeks
• Have two consecutive thyrotropin (TSH) levels >3.0-10.0mIU/L during the screening period
• Have normal free thyroxine (FT4) levels
• Have ability to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active treatment with thyroid hormone supplementation or anti-thyroid medications
• Active receipt of dialysis
• Prior kidney transplantation
• Life expectancy less than six months
• Active malignancy or prior thyroid malignancy
• Active pregnancy or planning a pregnancy
• Active coronary ischemia or atrial fibrillation (evaluated by EKG)
• Active congestive heart failure exacerbation
• Osteoporosis
• Weight in excess of 450 lbs.
• Hyperthyroidism as determined by TSH <0.5mIU/L during the screening period, anti-thyroid medication use, or hyperthyroidism diagnosis

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Levothyroxine; Patients will be randomized to levothyroxine or placebo (similar in size, shape, and color to levothyroxine) via permuted blocks stratified by two TSH levels (>3.0-5.0 and 5.0-10.0mIU/L) to ensure treatment balance across TSH levels. The study medications will be prepared in pill form. In the treatment arm, initial L-T4 doses will be 25mcg vs. 50mcg among patients whose TSH is >3.0-5.0mIU/L vs. 5.0-10.0mIU/L, respectively. Patients in the placebo arm will receive an equivalent number of placebo pills daily depending upon TSH level. The intervention period is 24 weeks. Patients will undergo up to two subsequent dose titrations after 8- and 16-weeks of treatment, based on interim TSH measurements at these time points. Patients whose TSH levels are higher or lower than the therapeutic TSH target of 0.5-3.0mIU/L will undergo a dose adjustment (+/- 25mcg), while those whose TSH levels are in target range will continue the prior dose.	Drug: Levothyroxine Sodium; Thyroid hormone supplement
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Patients will be randomized to levothyroxine or placebo (similar in size, shape, and color to levothyroxine) via permuted blocks stratified by two TSH levels (>3.0-5.0 and 5.0-10.0mIU/L) to ensure treatment balance across TSH levels. The study medications will be prepared in pill form. In the treatment arm, initial L-T4 doses will be 25mcg vs. 50mcg among patients whose TSH is >3.0-5.0mIU/L vs. 5.0-10.0mIU/L, respectively. Patients in the placebo arm will receive an equivalent number of placebo pills daily depending upon TSH level. The intervention period is 24 weeks. Patients in the placebo arm will undergo an equivalent titration in placebo pills (as that of the experimental arm) after 8- and 16-weeks of treatment, based on interim TSH measurements at these time points.	Drug: Placebos; Placebo oral capsule

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) - Short Form 36 Physical Component Score	We will assess HRQOL using the Short Form 36, which consists of 36 questions grouped into eight subscales (score 0-100 for each subscale; higher scores indicate better states of health) that will be used to derive a summary Physical Component Score.	Week 0 (pre-trial/baseline)
Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) - Short Form 36 Physical Component Score	We will assess HRQOL using the Short Form 36, which consists of 36 questions grouped into eight subscales (score 0-100 for each subscale; higher scores indicate better states of health) that will be used to derive a summary Physical Component Score.	Week 12
Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) - Short Form 36 Physical Component Score	We will assess HRQOL using the Short Form 36, which consists of 36 questions grouped into eight subscales (score 0-100 for each subscale; higher scores indicate better states of health) that will be used to derive a summary Physical Component Score.	Week 24
Coronary Artery Calcification (CAC) - Volume Score	We will assess CAC Volume Score using a 256-multidetector CT test. Volume score will be calculated by multiplying the number of voxels with calcification by the volume of each voxel for each calcified lesion, and summing individual lesion scores from the four main coronary arteries (left main, left anterior descending, circumflex, and right coronary artery).	Week 0 (pre-trial/baseline)
Coronary Artery Calcification (CAC) - Volume Score	We will assess CAC Volume Score using a 256-multidetector CT test. Volume score will be calculated by multiplying the number of voxels with calcification by the volume of each voxel for each calcified lesion, and summing individual lesion scores from the four main coronary arteries (left main, left anterior descending, circumflex, and right coronary artery).	Week 24

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Thyroid-Specific HRQOL - ThyPRO Hypothyroid Symptoms and Tiredness Domain Scores	We will administer the thyroid-specific quality of life patient-reported outcome (ThyPRO) measure, which is comprised of 84 items categorized into 13 domains, plus a general quality of life question (this is a composite measure).	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Physical Performance - Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)	We will measure physical performance using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), which tests 1) gait speed (faster of two timed, usual pace 15-foot walks), 2) balance (balance test measuring ability to stand with feet in side-by-side, semi-tandem, and tandem positions for 10 seconds), and 3) chair raises (timed series of five attempts to arise from a chair unassisted without use of arms), with each component ranging from 0 to 4 (score 0-12; higher score indicates better performance).	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Endothelial Function - Digital Thermal Monitor	We will measure endothelial function using digital thermal monitor (DTM) testing, which is based on the principle that changes in fingertip temperature during and after an ischemic stimulus (blood pressure [BP] cuff occlusion) reflect changes in blood flow. In normal endothelial function, cuff inflation results in a 1-3 degree Celsius temperature decline, followed by rapid temperature rise to above baseline during cuff deflation due to compensatory vasodilation. Temperature (temp) will be measured before, during, and after a 2-minute BP cuff inflation in the non-vascular access arm in order to measure Area Under the Temp Curve (TMP-AUC), defined as area under the curve between the maximum and minimum temp.	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Vascular Calcification Inhibitor - Matrix Gla Protein Levels	We will use plasma collected during hemodialysis treatments to measure total uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein levels. Assays will be conducted in the University of California Irvine Institute of Clinical Translational Science Bioassay Core.	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Total Body Fat Percentage	We will assess total body fat percentage using Dual Energy X-Ray absorptiometry.	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Muscle Strength - Isometric Dynamometry	We will assess muscle strength using BioDex dynamometry, which will be used to measure Isometric Quadriceps Maximal Strength (Peak Torque, Newton-meters), in which patients will perform three maximal knee-extension efforts at a knee angle of 60 degrees using the dominant leg; each trial consists of a repetition of five seconds of concentric quadriceps contraction, followed by at least 90-seconds of resting recovery.	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Systolic Function - Global Longitudinal Strain	We will measure systolic function using Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) using speckle-tracking 2D-echocardiography, which measures the contraction/deformation of myocardium during systole and is represented by a negative value (i.e., more negative GLS indicates better function).	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)
Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) - Indirect Calorimetry	We will measure REE using indirect calorimetry, in which following an overnight fast, patients will undergo a 20-minute resting period, after which oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide expiration will be recorded for 20-minutes while remaining under resting conditions, which will be used to calculate REE using the Weir formula.	Weeks 0 (pre-trial/baseline) and 24 (post-randomization)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
• Collaborators: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rhee CM, Chen Y, You AS, Brunelli SM, Kovesdy CP, Budoff MJ, Brent GA, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Nguyen DV. Thyroid Status, Quality of Life, and Mental Health in Patients on Hemodialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 Aug 7;12(8):1274-1283. doi: 10.2215/CJN.13211216. Epub 2017 Jul 13.
• Rhee CM, You AS, Nguyen DV, Brunelli SM, Budoff MJ, Streja E, Nakata T, Kovesdy CP, Brent GA, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Thyroid Status and Mortality in a Prospective Hemodialysis Cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 May 1;102(5):1568-1577. doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-3616.
• Rhee CM, Kim S, Gillen DL, Oztan T, Wang J, Mehrotra R, Kuttykrishnan S, Nguyen DV, Brunelli SM, Kovesdy CP, Brent GA, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Association of thyroid functional disease with mortality in a national cohort of incident hemodialysis patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Apr;100(4):1386-95. doi: 10.1210/jc.2014-4311. Epub 2015 Jan 29.
• Rhee CM, Alexander EK, Bhan I, Brunelli SM. Hypothyroidism and mortality among dialysis patients. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013 Apr;8(4):593-601. doi: 10.2215/CJN.06920712. Epub 2012 Dec 20.
• Rhee CM, Ravel VA, Streja E, Mehrotra R, Kim S, Wang J, Nguyen DV, Kovesdy CP, Brent GA, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Thyroid Functional Disease and Mortality in a National Peritoneal Dialysis Cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Nov;101(11):4054-4061. doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-1691. Epub 2016 Aug 15.
• Rhee CM, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Ravel V, Streja E, You AS, Brunelli SM, Nguyen DV, Brent GA, Kovesdy CP. Thyroid Status and Death Risk in US Veterans With Chronic Kidney Disease. Mayo Clin Proc. 2018 May;93(5):573-585. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.01.024.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 20, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 28, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 5, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): June 6, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 8, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 30, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Thyroid Diseases; Hypothyroidism; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Therapeutics; Amino Acids; Amino Acids, Aromatic; Amino Acids, Cyclic; Thyroid Hormones; Placebos; Thyroxine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20195142

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No