If you have any symptoms of a sluggish or overactive thyroid, there are number of thyroid tests that your doctor may order to help diagnose your condition. Some thyroid tests are blood tests that determine whether your body is producing sufficient levels of thyroid hormones. For example, the level of TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone can be measured through a blood test.
If you have a high level of TSH, your body may not be producing enough thyroid hormone. A low TSH level can mean that your body is over-producing thyroid hormones.
Thyroid tests can also measure levels of thyroid hormone directly. Specifically, blood tests can be conducted to determine whether the body is producing enough of the thyroid hormones T4 and T3.
Another test, called a thyroid antibodies test, can determine whether antibodies exist that suggest an autoimmune condition – that is, that the body has turned against its own thyroid cells. Anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroid thyroglobulin are two antibodies that may indicate a problem with thyroid function. If antibodies are present in the blood of a person with low thyroid function, a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can be made. If the antibodies are present in a person with an over-active thyroid, the diagnosis is usually autoimmune thyroid disease.
A different type of thyroid test can be conducted to measure the level of a protein known thyroid binding globulin, to which thyroid hormones bind. This test is usually conducted when there is an unexplained high or low level of T4 or T3. The level of thyroid binding globulin only affects the volume, not the action, of thyroid hormones, so this test is conducted when a person has altered hormone levels but apparently normal thyroid function. It can help avert misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment when no symptoms of thyroid disease exist.
There are several other thyroid tests that may be conducted to diagnose or rule out thyroid disease. To learn more about these and find out if they are hundred percent accurate visit, thyroid tests.
Monica Villarreal and Gail Kaufman are editors at
http://www.lowthyroidhelp.com.
To learn more about tests used to monitor the thyroid function visit: thyroid tests
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