thyroid reading

[wanderer]

i was in cardiac department.blood test showed reading of 4.5 and told it may be a one off and to have another test in 6 weeks.i have symptoms i also have a sensation in my ears and neck.i suffer from sleep apnea.

[wanderer]

what is a normal reading for thyroid.thank you

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Wanderer,

The reference range for TSH varies from one laboratory to another. The range varies due to the manufacturer of the test, the laboratory, and the way in which the reference range was determined. (I assume that this is what you are asking about, but please correct me if I am wrong.)

I happen to have a page open for the Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals where it is currently 0.3 - 4.2 mU/L.

pathology.bsuh.nhs.uk/patho...

Did they do a Free T4 test as well? In many UK laboratories if the TSH is out of their reference range they will also do a Free T4 test. But the only way to be sure is to ask - whether you ask your GP surgery or the hospital pathology department. The level of co-operation you receive may vary.

All the best

Rod

[Barbara]

Hi Wanderer,

Thyroid test results can vary a lot when a patient is ill for some other reason, particularly when in hospital, so it is good practice to repeat blood tests. It is called "Non-thyroidal illnesses" and/or the "sick-euthyroid syndrome".

There is more about this on page 59 of the UK Guidelines for the Use of Thyroid Function Tests at acb.org.uk/docs/TFTguidelin... Section 7.7.2 Situations in which TSH Results may be Misleading, part of which says:

"In hospitalised patients a TSH <0.10 mU/L is at least twice as likely to be due to non-thyroidal illness as hyperthyroidism."

and

"In hospitalised patients an increased TSH is as likely to be associated with recovery from illness as hypothyroidism."

When you get your thyroid test results always ask for the reference ranges too as they vary considerably from lab to lab. Even the tests that your GP orders could well have a different range to those done in a local hospital.