Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often also suffer from subclinical hypothyroidism, according to new research.

A study of blood test results in over 3,000 patients with CKD who were not receiving dialysis found that 9.5 per cent had mild reductions in their thyroid function.

Patients with lower kidney function had a greater chance of having subclinical hypothyroidism with 18 percent of those with moderate CKD experiencing reductions in their thyroid function - compared to seven percent of patients with mild CKD.

Dr Michel Chonchol and Dr Giovanni Targher, said: "Although no recommendations are available regarding the treatment of mild abnormalities of thyroid hormone levels in patients with CKD not requiring dialysis, these abnormalities could represent a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and might also be implicated in kidney disease progression."

Despite the study, a lack of follow up research has meant that a causal relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and CKD can not officially be determined.

Entitled Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease the study will be available in the September issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

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