Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) and hemodialysis (HD) can cause thyroid dysfunction. The earliest and most common thyroid function abnormality in ESRD patients on HD is low triiodothyronine (T3) level, low T3 syndrome. Moreover the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism is significantly higher in ESRD patients on HD compared to the general population. Detailed knowledge of all these changes is extremely important to plan the good management of the patient.

Aim To evaluate thyroid functions in patients undergoing chronic HD in the pediatric nephrology unit at Sohag University Hospital.

Methods The study was a prospective study. The age of the studied cases ranged from 6 to 23 years. Overall, 19 male and 22 female patients were subjected to detailed history taking and full clinical examination. All patients were evaluated for complete blood count (CBC), kidney function tests ,liver function tests, arterial blood gases (ABG), parathyroid hormone level (PTH) , vitamin D level and thyroid function tests

Results: The study conducted at the Pediatric Nephrology Unit of Sohag University Hospital investigated thyroid function in 41 pediatric patients with ESRD undergoing HD. Thyroid function tests revealed that there were 6 patients with subclinicalhypothyroidism and 6 cases of low T3 syndrome. Clinical examination revealed no abnormalities in thyroid gland palpation among all participants.

Conclusion: The low T3 syndrome and subclinical hypothyroidism are relatively common thyroid disorders among children with ESRD. We recommend regular monitoring of thyroid functions in children with ESRD for early detection of any disturbance to reduce the morbidity and mortality.