Help with blood test results from Blue Horizon

[Mrss25]

Hi there, I have received my blood test results from Blue Horizon and was hoping someone could have a look at them for me please, kind regards and many thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Mrss25

Please add an image of your results so that we can help. You can either edit your opening post to include the image, or add it in a reply below. Please make sure that your personal details - name and date of birth - aren't showing.

Alternatively, you can type the results into a reply here and include the reference ranges.

So that we can accurately interpret your results, please tell us what thyroid meds you are taking, if you are taking any supplements and the dose, also when you took your last dose of thyroid meds. For Levo last dose should be 24 hours before test, for NDT and T3 last dose should be 8-12 hours before the test (splitting dose the day before and adjusting times if necessary).

Also, if you take a biotin supplement or B Complex, did you leave this off for 3-7 days before the test and if you take an iron supplement and ferritin has been tested did you leave this off for 7 days before the test.

Was the test done no later than 9am and without food or drink except water before the test?

[Mrss25 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi there, thank you so much.

I take no supplements, or thyroid prescriptions. My tests were taken before 9AM and I had only had water.

Methylmalonic Acid 0.14 (Range 0.29 umol/L)Homocysteine 14.0 (Range 3.7-13.9 umol/L)

Active Vitamin B12 67 pmol/L (25-108)

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody 5 (1) (Range 0-24 IU/mL)

Intrinsic Factor Antibody 0 (1) (Range 0-6 U/mL)

Liver Kidney Microsomal Antibody Negative

Smooth muscle antibody Negative

Mitochondrial Antibody Negative

Gastric parietal cell antibody Negative

Reticulin Antibodies Negative

Mitochondrial (M2) antibody Negative

Ribosomal antibody Negative

Iron 18.0 (range 5.83-34.5 umol/L)

UIBC 44.3 (range 24.2-70.1 umol/L)

TIBC 62.3 (range 40.8-76.6 umol/L)

Transferrin Saturation 28.9 (range 15.45 %)

Reticulocyte count 50 (range 50-100 unit 10*9/L)

WBC 5.8 (4.0-10.0 10*9/L)

RBC 4.95 (3.80-4.80 10*12L)

Haemoglobin (hb) 146 (120-150 g/L)

Haematocrit (Hct) 0.43 (0.36-0.46 L/L)

MCV 87 (83-101 fl)

MCH 29.6 27.0-32.0 pg)

RDW 12.4 (11.6-14.0 %)

Platelets 223 (150-410 10*9/L)

Neutrophils 3.7 (2.0-7.0 10*9/L)

Lymphocytes 1.4 (1.0-3.0 10*9/L)

Monocytes 0.5 (0.2-1.0 10*9/L)

Eosinophils 0.2 (0.0-0.5 10*9/L)

Basophils 0.0 (0.0-0.1 10*9/L)

Total vitamin D 37 (1) (Range 76-250 nmol/L)

Zinc 12.90 (1) (range 9.6-20.5 umol/L)

Selenium1.04 range 0.75-1.46 umol/L)

Serum Folate 5.01 (1) (Range 3.89-26.80 ng/ml)

Vitamin B12 349.9 (Range 197-771 pg/ml)

Magnesium 0.81 (Range 0.7-1.0 mmol/L)

TSH 3.440 (1) Range 0.27-4.20 mlU/L)

Free T4 16.16 (2) (range 12-22 pmol/L)

Free T3 5.5 (Range 3.1-6.8 pmol/L)

Ferritin 127.2 (3) (range 13-150 ug/L)

Many thanks again

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Mrss25]

Mrss25

Methylmalonic Acid 0.14 (Range 0.29 umol/L)Homocysteine 14.0 (Range 3.7-13.9 umol/L)

Active Vitamin B12 67 pmol/L (25-108)

Intrinsic Factor Antibody 0 (1) (Range 0-6 U/mL)

I don't know enough to comment on these or if anyone here can accurately interpret them but you could post them on the Pernicious Anaemia forum which is a dedicated B12 forum:

healthunlocked.com/pasoc

I would also mention the following results. Here on the Thyroid forum we would say your folate needs improving (folate and B12 work together) and we would suggest that the recommended level is at least half way through it's range. They may have other ideas on the PA forum. I understand that you shouldn't supplement for the low folate until further testing, if necessary, of B12 has been carried out:

Serum Folate 5.01 (1) (Range 3.89-26.80 ng/ml)

Vitamin B12 349.9 (Range 197-771 pg/ml)

**

The antibody results marked negative are self explanatory.

**

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody 5 (1) (Range 0-24 IU/mL)

This is low in range so this result is negative for autoimmune thyroid disease.

TSH 3.440 (1) Range 0.27-4.20 mlU/L)

Free T4 16.16 (2) (range 12-22 pmol/L)

Free T3 5.5 (Range 3.1-6.8 pmol/L)

A normal healthy person would have a TSH no higher than 2, often around 1, with FT4 around mid-range-ish. In some countries hypothyroidism is diagnosed when TSH goes over 3 but here in the UK primary hypothyroidism isn't diagnosed until TSH goes over 10 unless FT4 is below range or where TSH is over range (but not as high as 10) with raised thyroid antibodies.

None of us are tested for thyroid base levels in health so we have no idea what our normal levels are, your TSH is higher than most normal healthy people would have and your FT4 is 41/6% through range. FT3 looks good but your body will always prioritise FT3 when the thyroid is struggling anyway so it would be the last hormone level to be affected.

**

Iron 18.0 (range 5.83-34.5 umol/L)

UIBC 44.3 (range 24.2-70.1 umol/L)

TIBC 62.3 (range 40.8-76.6 umol/L)

Transferrin Saturation 28.9 (range 15.45 %)

Ferritin 127.2 (3) (range 13-150 ug/L)

Optimal iron panel levels according to rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_... are:

Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men - yours is 42.45% so slightly low but not bad

Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - yours is 28.9% so again slightly low

Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC): Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron, High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron - yours is 60.06% so just a bit over half way

Ferritin: Low level virtually always indicates need for iron supplementation; High level with low serum iron/low saturation indicates inflammation or infection - yours looks good on the surface but I'd want to see CRP (an inflammation marker) to see if it might be at the higher end due to inflammation.

These results certainly don't point to iron deficiency but if you wanted to improve your serum iron and saturation you might want to look at how much iron rich food you consume and if it's enough. Eating liver regularly can help (no more than 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content), or liver pate or black pudding can help.

**

Reticulocyte count 50 (range 50-100 unit 10*9/L)

I don't know anything about this but you can check here:

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...

where under "What do the test result mean?" it says

Decreased reticulocyte percentages may be seen, for example, with:

Iron deficiency anaemia

Pernicious anaemia or folic acid deficiency

Aplastic anaemia

Radiation therapy

Bone marrow failure caused by infection or cancer

The reticulocyte count gives an indication of what may be happening but cannot diagnose of any one particular disease. Reticulocyte count can show whether further investigations may be necessary and can help monitor the effectiveness of therapy.

so maybe something to discuss with your GP.

**

Your full blood count doesn't appear to suggest anaemia.

**

Total vitamin D 37 (1) (Range 76-250 nmol/L)

This is very low. Vit D deficiency is confirmed when level is either below 30 or below 25 depending on what your own health authority sets it at so you aren't classed as deficient but it comes into the "insufficient" category. Some GPs might prescribe a small dose of Vit D for this, others would tell you to buy your own which, to be honest, is the better option.

The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L, with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 125nmol/L.

To reach the recommended level from your current level, you could supplement with 5,000iu D3 daily.

Retest after 3 months.

Once you've reached the recommended level then a maintenance dose will be needed to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. This can be done with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3. You will have to buy these yourself.

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and Vit K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc. 90-100mcg K2-MK7 is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.

For D3 I like Doctor's Best D3 softgels, they are an oil based very small softgel which contains just two ingredients - D3 and extra virgin olive oil, a good quality, nice clean supplement which is budget friendly. Some people like BetterYou oral spray but this contains a lot of excipients and works out more expensive.

For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero brands which contain the correct form of K2-MK7 - the "All Trans" form rather than the "Cis" form. The All Trans form is the bioactive form, a bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid.

If looking for a combined D3/K2 supplement, this one has 3,000iu D3 and 50mcg K2-MK7. The company has told me the K2-MK7 is the Trans form

natureprovides.com/collecti...

It may also be available on Amazon

Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form, and large doses of D3 can induce depletion of magnesium. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.

Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking magnesium as tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.

**

Zinc 12.90 (1) (range 9.6-20.5 umol/L)

I understand that zinc should be around half way through range which would be around 15 with that range. I would look at zinc rich foods.

**

Selenium is 40.85% within range so I wouldn't be concerned about that. If you want to improve it then I'd be looking at finding some Brazil nuts where the packet confirms selenium content. Brazil nuts only contain selenium if grown in selenium rich soil and it depends in which area the nuts were grown in because the amount of selenium in soil varies. Eastern Amazon and Central Brazil have the highest amounts:

honey-guide.com/2012/11/19/...

The packaging needs to say "Grown in selenium rich soil" and preferably the area and possibly the amount of selenium.

Apparently Sainsburys SO organic brazil nuts contain 50mcg selenium per 30g serving of nuts

sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/pro...

and their Fairtrade ones have 75mcg selenium per 30g serving

sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/pro...

One member has said that M&S Natural Brazil Nuts say "harvested by hand in the Amazon forest and naturally high in selenium".

Also, check out Aldi's "The Foodie Market" Brazil nuts, the packaging is said to show selenium content as 79mcg per 30g serving.

Another one is 'My Garden of Eden' Brazil nuts from Home Bargains.. They say "High in Selenium and high in vitamin E" on the front of the packet and the Nutritional Information says "one serving (25g) gives 63ug o

**

Magnesium 0.81 (Range 0.7-1.0 mmol/L)

Testing magnesium is unreliable. About 99% of magnesium is stored in bone, muscles and soft tissues, leaving about 1% in the blood. So testing what's in the blood isn't giving an accurate picture of our magnesium status. Most people do seem to be low in magnesium. However, your Vit D is low and you need magnesium as a cofactor when supplementing with D3.