Tests tft

[tamina786]

What's the difference between ft4 t4 and ft3 t3

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Most thyroid hormone is bound to proteins in the blood (thyroid binding globulin, transthyretin and albumin).

The little bit that isn't bound to proteins is Free T4 and Free T3.

The Total T4 and Total T3 includes all the bound thyroid hormone AND the free thyroid hormone.

The Total tests tend to tell you how much binding protein you have rather than anything very useful about available thyroid hormone. It is the Free test results that tell you how much is available to be taken up by cells.

[tamina786 in reply to helvella]

So which test reliable ft3 ft4 or t3 t4

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to tamina786]

They can all be reliable, but they each answer a different question!

It might help if you were to explain why you are asking? So that we can try to answer usefully.

[tamina786 in reply to helvella]

Cause my t4 low but my ft4 high it dosent make sense

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to tamina786]

If you do not have as much of the binding proteins as usual, that could happen.

This could just be your genes. Or another illness - have you very recently been ill?

Do you have the numbers? (Please include the ranges as well.)

[SlowDragon Administrator]

You want Ft4 and Ft3 tested