Could I get your opinion on bloods?

[Cooper27]

Hi, I joined up a couple of weeks ago, as I think I have thyroid issues. I was planning to mostly lurk, and just ask a couple of questions, but I'm needing a bit of input on my bloods (fasted sample taken at 8am):

TSH 0.902 (0.27-4.3)

FT4 19.6 (12-23)

FT3 6.14 (3.1-6.8)

T4 105 (64.5-142)

TPO 60.2 (0-34)

Anti-thyroglobulin 19.2 (0-115)

Everything is pretty normal, buy my TPO is over range (although from seeing some other's results, it doesn't seem that bad).

I'm on no medication, but I am mostly gluten free due to my partner having coeliac disease (we're talking about 1tbsp of brown sauce a week and 1 gluten containing meal a month).

Previous bloods had TSH of 0.45 & FT4 of 14 but that was a non fasted sample at 4pm.

No vitamin tests yet, except Vit D of 25.4 (normal is 50-200).

GP is stumped, and wrote to an endocrinologist for advice, but the endocrinologist has said they won't get involved at the moment.

[Clutter]

Cooper27,

TSH is low-normal, FT4 is in the upper range, and FT3 is close to top of range. Your thyroid levels are excellent and don't indicate hypothyroidism.

TPO antibodies are mildly positive for for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's). There is no cure for Hashimoto's which causes 90% of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine treatment is for the low thyroid levels it eventually causes. Many people have found that 100% gluten-free diet is helpful in reducing Hashi flares, symptoms and eventually antibodies and it may delay progression to hypothyroidism.

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

VitD 25.5 is deficient. How much vitamin D3 are you taking?

[Cooper27 in reply to Clutter]

Is there anything else that causes high TPO other than Hashimotos? The difficulty I'm having is that no one really wants to diagnose me until it causes abnormal thyroid & my GP is confused by the presence of antibodies when my thyroid function isn't affected.

It seems like I'm either in an early stage of hashi, or perhaps the low gluten in my diet is keeping the numbers in check for now, but I am going to go the extra step to cut out all gluten.

I'm going to pick up vitamins at the weekend for the vitamin D - I think I need 10,000 ug/day - I have a very low dose tablet I'm taking until I can get the better tablets.

[Clutter in reply to Cooper27]

Cooper27,

No, thyroid peroxidase is restricted to thyroid and high TPO antibodies = autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's). Hashimoto's progressively damages the thyroid gland until it is unable to produce sufficient thyroid hormone but it can take decades. Adopting 100% gluten-free diet may delay progression and as TPO 60 is mildly elevated you may be able to reverse Hashimoto's. Supplementing 100-200mcg daily is good thyroid gland support.

Supplement 10,000iu D3 daily for 8 weeks then reduce to 5,000iu daily and retest in March.

[Cooper27 in reply to Clutter]

Thanks! I hope I can reverse it, but I think I'll pay for a full private test once a year (assuming I can afford to) to keep an eye on the numbers. My GP is the usual story - basic test only, unless it comes back abnormal.

Can I double check, what is the thing to supplement 100-200mcg of?

[Clutter in reply to Cooper27]

Cooper27,

Sorry, it was selenium.

TSH usually becomes abnormal long before FT4 and FT3 do.

[Cooper27 in reply to Clutter]

Thanks - that's good to know! I will watch out for the general trend