Understanding thyroid and thyroid function tests
Thyroid Function Tests are a series of blood tests used to measure how well your thyroid gland is working.
• Thyroid is a small gland located in the front part of lower neck and thyroid gland helps to regulate many processes in our body such as metabolism and energy production and also effects our mood.
• The Thyroid produces 2 main hormones 1) Triiodothyroxine (T3) and 2) Thyroxine (T4). If thyroid gland produces less hormone i.e. not enough of these hormones it is called hypothyroidism and if it produces too many hormones it is called hyperthyroidism.
• In hypothyroidism you may experience symptoms such as
- Weight gain
- Lack of energy
- Depression
• In hyperthyroidism you may experience
- Weight loss
- High levels of anxiety
- Tumors
• Thyroid function tests are T3, T3 RV, T4 and TSH and are done by drawing blood i.e. blood test.
• A fasting of 8 hours is needed before test i.e. do not consume anything except water for 8 hrs before test.
Thus, it is recommended to take up thyroid function test in early morning i.e. the first thing in morning.
• The warning signs suggesting issues with thyroid are
- Heart rate is high
- Excessive tiredness
- Sudden changes in weight
- Feeling chilled (or) over heated
- Gradual thinning of hair but not exactly hair loss
• Who to take up tests?
- All new borns
- Family history of thyroid
- Type 1 Diabetes patients
- Women over 35 years age
- Pregnant women
• TFT’s are recommended routinely at age 35 and then every 5 years.
• Anti TPO test is done in mildly elevated TSH patients to rule out subclinical hypothyroidism which is more common in patients above 60 years of age and is found in more than 80% people with auto immune conditions
How common are thyroid diseases?
• Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism are prevalent in India. Reports show that more than 10 million cases occur in India.
• Thyroiditis is common to India with more than a million cases have been registered in India.
• Thyroid cancer are fewer when compared to other thyroid disorders [‘[u/and lesser than one million cases are seen in India per year.
• Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism occur mostly in women, and occurrence in women is increasing day by day.
• One in eight middle-aged women is prone to thyroid disorders.
• Mothers with thyroid disorder are likely to cause thyroid disorder in their child.
Where to get diagnosed thyroid disorders?
1. Diagnostic center with quality infrastructure is a good option.
2. Our diagnostic lab has an in-house team of expert biochemist, pathologist, doctors, and microbiologist. \
3. Check for accreditation before selecting the diagnostic center.
4. The diagnostic center which offers significant types of tests are the best diagnostic center
How frequent should you get tested for thyroid disorders?
1. Thyroid tests can identify hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. How often you repeat these tests depends on your diagnosis, however, you will need a TSH test once a year if you have an hypothyroidism; and more regular tests if you have an hyperthyroidism to identify that the treatment is working. The frequency of testing will be determined by your doctor upon diagnosis of your condition.
2. If you have taken a thyroid test and the results came back within the normal range, then it might be worth retesting every year as a part of health optimization and early detection of changes
OLIVE diagnostics is a diagnostic center in Bhimavaram with an aim and vision to provide quality diagnostic services Our diagnostic center is designed to accommodate all the high-end diagnostic facilities for the patients and provide home collection of samples
When it comes to thyroid disorder, it is good to get diagnosed as early as possible. So come and get diagnosed with your thyroid disorder and immediately get a consultation by our doctor.
