In Range of what? What does it mean?

[imdelightful]

What does it mean when people say are the results for the thyroid ' In Range?'

In range of what> ps I am new to this. plz excuse my ignorance.

[imdelightful]

Error 'What does it mean?'

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Each test has a reference range which is usually based on healthy population (often locally).

For example, my lab's range for FT4 is 7-17.

Any result between 7 and 17 is within range.

Any result below 7 or over 17 is out of range.

[imdelightful in reply to SeasideSusie]

Sorry Susie but what has the rest of the population got to do with your results? Am I reading this wrong?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to imdelightful]

The rest of the population has nothing to do with your results except that the lab has to have a range for each test.

The range needs to be based on results from normal healthy people so the range is made up by testing a number of healthy people and the range is then based on those results.

[imdelightful in reply to SeasideSusie]

Getting there. Grrr!

[imdelightful in reply to SeasideSusie]

I have to keep reading this over and over again for it to sink in and understand what you have said.

[Lalatoot in reply to imdelightful]

Range is the numbers in brackets after your results.

This is where your result is expected to be. So for ft4 the range is 12 - 22. Your result should be somewhere between 12 and 22.

The exact figures for the ranges varies between testing labs which is why we usually quote them.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Lalatoot]

Lalatoot

So as not to confuse things any further for the OP, you might want to edit your post where you have put "Your result should be somewhere between 12 and 24." and change it to 12-22 so it agrees with your other statement about the range

[Lalatoot in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks Susie - will do. However at the mo when I go to edit response it keeps coming up with server error.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Lalatoot]

Would you like me to see if I can do it for you?

[Lalatoot in reply to SeasideSusie]

Please do as it is still coming up with server error. Tried on mobile and computer!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Lalatoot]

There you go, I must have magic fingers

[SilverAvocado]

Imdelightful, to add to the explanations you've already had, the range shows the numbers we'd expect a healthy person to have. Theoretically someone who is healthy could have a number anywhere inside that range, but once we see a result outside that range of numbers we suspect the person isn't healthy.

This is the theory, but in practice with thyroid the ranges are very wide, and you can easily be very sick but have numbers inside the range. It is just a partial tool for figuring out where we are that has a lot of problems, but it's what we've got.

[imdelightful in reply to SilverAvocado]

Thanks for your info. It all helps .

[Gcart]

I am a very simple soul . How I think about range :

4ft 11in - 6ft 7in in range for someone’s height.

However if you are a man at 4ft 11in or a young woman at 6ft7in ......

get where I’m going?

It’s got to be ‘right ‘ for the individual

It doesn’t seem to be understood by doctors

Oh while, hope I haven’t confused you 🙂