The renin–angiotensin system in thyroid disorders and its role in cardiovascular and renal manifestations
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, E-18012 Granada, Spain
1Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Boulevard Louis Pasteur 32, 29071 Málaga, Spain
- (Correspondence should be addressed to F Vargas; Email: fvargas{at}ugr.es)
Abstract
Thyroid disorders are among the most common endocrine diseases and affect virtually all physiological systems, with an especially marked impact on cardiovascular and renal systems. This review summarizes the effects of thyroid hormones on the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and the participation of the RAS in the cardiovascular and renal manifestations of thyroid disorders. Thyroid hormones are important regulators of cardiac and renal mass, vascular function, renal sodium handling, and consequently blood pressure (BP). The RAS acts globally to control cardiovascular and renal functions, while RAS components act systemically and locally in individual organs. Various authors have implicated the systemic and local RAS in the mediation of functional and structural changes in cardiovascular and renal tissues due to abnormal thyroid hormone levels. This review analyzes the influence of thyroid hormones on RAS components and discusses the role of the RAS in BP, cardiac mass, vascular function, and renal abnormalities in thyroid disorders.
- Received in final form 28 October 2011
- Accepted 31 October 2011
- Made available online as an Accepted Preprint 31 October 2011
- © 2012 Society for Endocrinology
