Description
Available in the UK only. Thyroid Complete serves as a valuable tool for detecting those patients that are suffering from thyroid dysfunction, including low-grade hyper- or hypothyroidism, which might otherwise go undetected through standard blood tests, and auto-immune thyroid conditions either Hashimoto’s disease or Graves’ disease.
Thyroid Complete includes TSH, T4, T3, fT4, fT3, TPO Ab, TG Ab, T-uptake and rT3. It is also useful for monitoring thyroid function.
Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary to control the thyroid gland’s production of thyroxine (T4), to store T4, and to release it into the bloodstream. TSH serves as a key test in thyroid diagnostics and is a very sensitive and specific parameter for assessing thyroid function.
Thyroxine (T4) is the major hormone secreted by the thyroid gland. Triiodothyronine (T3) is the most active thyroid hormone, primarily produced from the conversion of T4 in peripheral tissue.
Unbound T4 and T3, Free thyroxine (fT4) and Free Triiodothyronine (fT3) respectively, reflect the bioactive portion of thyroid hormones and can help identify both overt hyper- and hypothyroidism and more subtle subclinical thyroid dysfunction.
Thyroid antibody levels help assess autoimmune response, either to thyroglobulin (TG ab or anti-TG) or thyroid peroxidase (TPO Ab or anti-TPO) which may affect production of thyroid hormones T4 and T3 and may be raised in response to trauma, inflammation, thyroid degeneration and in either Hashimoto’s disease or Graves’ disease.
Reverse T3 is the amount of T3 in the body, not bound to protein but also not active which can increase when peripheral conversion of T4 to active T3 is impaired, for example due to nutrient shortages, heavy metal exposure, adrenal stress, enzyme deficiencies and due to other chronic illnesses.
The performance of a T uptake, or TBC assay, provides a measure of the available thyroxine binding sites.
Methodology
Medical Diagnosis is a private clinical pathology laboratory, ISO 15189 UKAS Standard accredited and regulated by the CareQuality Commission (CQC).
Standard specifications/Equipment/Techniques used:
Documented in-house methods and manufacturer’s instructions for Chemiluminescence immunoassay using the Snibe Maglumi 2000 plus documented in SOP WI-29 Maglumi 2000 Plus chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA).
When should I use
Thyroid function is essential for the primary regulation of all the body’s metabolic processes. Symptoms can include:
Fatigue
Depression
Feeling cold
Constipation
Poor skin
PMS, dysmenorrhoea
Poor fertility
Weight gain or inability to lose weight
Fluid retention
Anxiety and mood disorders
Decreased memory, concentration, or brain fog
Muscle and joint pain
Low libido
Hyperthyroid symptoms include:
Nervousness
Anxiety
Mood swings and irritability
Hyperactivity or feeling tired all the time
Palpitations
Sensitivity to heat
Other Details
Also consider the smaller panel BP003 Thyroid Basic if you do not need to assess rT3 and t-uptake or BP004 Thyroid Basic Plus which does include rT3 but not T-uptake.
For a more comprehensive panel, which also includes TSH Receptor Antibodies (TRAb) consider BP005 Thyroid Advanced.
