Hashimotos or not?

[Bluesammy]

If someone has been diagnosed with non auto immune hypothyroidism because the thyroid antibodies are not raised but then their antibodies do become slightly raised, is this definitely Hashimotos? I guess what I am asking is: can anything else slightly raise thyroid antibodies or are raised antibodies, however slight, always a confirmation of Hashimotos? Thank you.

[MoonDust11]

Hi, I am in no way an expert but I have read that antibodies fluctuate and the absence of raised antibodies at one time of testing does not rule out hashimoto. If you went on to get raised antibodies on another blood test that indicates hashimoto (I think you only need one test with raised antibodies for hashimoto to be confirmed, based on what a GP said to me... but they can be confused so take that with a pinch of salt). Some people have their thyroid examinated and have nodules that confirm hashimoto even if they've never had a blood test that showed their antibodies are raised.

As a side note, they do say that higher antibodies correlates with more symptoms, so someone with a low TSH can be symptomatic if they have raised antibodies. Keep this in mind with starting meds and adjusting doses. This is mentioned somewhere on thyroid UK's website.

I hope this answers your question.

[Bluesammy in reply to MoonDust11]

Thank you. Much appreciate your reply.

[StitchFairy]

Instead of saying not raised and slightly raised, it would be better to give the actual numbers. Ranges for blood tests are not always definitive, so if it's literally a difference of just a few points it might not be enough to prove anything either way.

[Bluesammy in reply to StitchFairy]

Thank you. Much appreciate your reply. Will try to get numbers.