Link between basophils and hypothyroidism

[JumpJiving]

I’ve just received the results of my latest Medichecks tests. I am curious about the Basophils level, which has jumped since it was previously tested, right to the very top of the reference range (but not yet over range). In the information about what a high result means, it says “Raised levels of basophils are also associated with hypothyroidism”. Well, I do suffer from hypothyroidism, but on 1.5 grains of NDT my T3 is currently just over the normal range. Does anybody know what the link between basophils and hypothyroidism is? Would basophils be expected to be increasing even if FT3 is at or above the top of the normal range?

Blood test results are:

Basophils: 0.1 (range 0 - 0.1)

TSH: 0.505 (range 0.27 – 4.2)

FT3: 6.87 (range 3.1 – 6.8)

FT4: 15.2 (range 12 – 22)

TBH, any of the other possibilities that Medichecks list as reasons for basophils going high could apply to me – allergies, exposure to bacteria and parasites, bone marrow disorder (my mother has one, the underlying cause of which has never been found so they don’t know for sure that it isn’t hereditary), or rheumatoid arthritis (we ponder occasionally whether I have early stages – I don’t think so, but couldn’t rule it out completely).

Hopefully, this jump in basophils is just me reacting to something in the environment, or an after effect of a couple of allergic reactions that I had over Christmas (two different people fed me lactose to which I am allergic), or even something to do with the horrible tennis elbow that I currently have, but I'd like to understand the link to hypothyroidism better.

[Jazzw]

I would imagine the rise in basophils would be due to an autoimmune condition, so the association with hypothyroidism will simply be that many cases of hypothyroidism are caused by Hashimoto’s.

Do you have Hashi’s?

[JumpJiving in reply to Jazzw]

Regarding Hashimoto's - My antibodies tests are as follows:

The highest I have seen my Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies was 21.2 (range 0 - 34) back in 2010. They were 15.91 in 2017 and 10.70 in 2019.

I don't have any Thyroglobulin Antibodies results before 2017, but since then they have always come up as below 9 (range 0 - 114).

The only Thyroid Receptor Antibodies (whatever that is) result that I have seen was from 2010, when it was below 1. I spotted this one on my online medical records, but have no more info about it.

I've never had a doctor say that I have Hashimoto's, but there's also the possibility that my TPA was higher than 21.2 before I first had it tested - it's been declining since the first test in 2010.

However, given that my hypothyroidism remains fairly minor compared to what other people have (1.5 grains of NDT gets my FT3 just over range), I'd be surprised if mine was Hashimoto's.

[Jazzw in reply to JumpJiving]

I must admit, I was surprised that 1.5 grains is enough. It takes 3 grains for my levels to get anywhere near yours! But we are all so very different, aren’t we?

I’ve read here that it’s perfectly possible to have Hashimoto’s even without TPO and TPA antibodies being raised (I have no signs of antibodies either)—apparently a scan can help identify Hashi’s.

But perhaps for you it is a sign of another autoimmune disorder—or perhaps a temporary issue relating to an allergy that you perhaps don’t even know you have!

So many questions, eh...