Understanding your Thyroid Test

A simple blood test can often mean the difference between being sick and staying in good health. A blood test can reveal a lot about the health of a person that could have gone un-noticed entirely. A common cause for blood work is the testing of the Thyroid. The thyroid in a person is very important as it has a regulatory function and controls a lot of other hormonal functions. There are a lot of chronic disorders which have their root buried deep in the imbalance of thyroid hormone secretion.

What is a thyroid test?

A blood test pertaining to the activities of thyroid specifically a TSH or Thyroid stimulating hormone, is a commonly ordered test that a Physician will use to help diagnose a Thyroid disorder. Typically thyroid testing includes checks for:

• Production of thyroid hormones
• Metabolism of thyroid hormone
• Activity and gland regulation of the thyroid
• Auto immunity of thyroid

There are many kinds of sub-tests which are also a part of thyroid testing. Which test is the most suitable for you depends on the advice of your physician or your local laboratory professionals. The doctor will go through your list of symptoms and suggest what testing you may benefit from. Here are a few tests which are a part of thyroid testing.

• Level of Hypersensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
• Level of free triiodothyronine (FreeT3)
• Count of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (Anti-TG)
• Level of free thyroxine (FreeT4)
• Count of Anti-thyro peroxidase antibodies (Anti-TPO)
• fT3/rT3h
• fT4/fT3
• reverse T3 (rT3)

The aforementioned tests are conducted with a simple blood collection. These tests are imperative in revealing how your Thyroid gland is functioning. Though you may not notice the symptoms, if any abnormalities are revealed in the thyroid test, the doctors will take it quite seriously and wish to monitor your levels regularly.

What does a thyroid test reveal?

Until you conduct tests specifically for Thyroid function, these imbalances will often go un-diagnosed. With the help of a thyroid test, one can check the levels of T3 and T4. This in turn will tell you whether the afflicted person is suffering from hyper-thyroidism or hypo-thyroidism. Subtle changes or variations in the levels of the hormone deviating from the normal are immediately noticed and can be easily corrected to maintain optimal health. Failure to notice these changes in a thyroid blood test can trigger certain abnormalities in the body and promote the growth of degenerative ailments.

The thyroid is a very delicate part of the body. It is a portion which has many functions that are important for the growth and development of the body. If the thyroid is not working properly it could result in the manifestation of a lot of imbalance issues. A simple blood test can reveal these problems, which if detected in the initial stages, can be rectified long-term. Thyroid testing typically comes with a reference range so that you are able to compare your levels to those that are suggested as optimal by clinical laboratories. At your request, your doctor will surely educate you on what your results mean and whether there related dangers.

(Thyroid Test)