If you decide to assess the condition of your thyroid gland using a blood test, then you have to choose a list of indicators. Of course, you can trust your doctor or laboratory technician who is always ready to give a hint. But the practice of our "Clinic of the thyroid gland" shows that not all laboratories are able to correctly orient, and endocrinologists often miss important indicators.
If you decide to do a blood test for the first time or have not tested your thyroid gland for a very long time, then you should determine such indicators.
TSH (also called thyroid-stimulating hormone). T4-free, T3 - free, T4-total, T3-total, Thyroglobulin and antibodies. To TPO (i.e. thyroperoxidase) and TG (i.e., thyroglobulin).
In addition to these indicators, in our clinic we recommend ordering a complete blood test in the laboratory. Sometimes it is called clinical. It is important to estimate the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood.
This range of indicators will allow the competent doctor not only to determine the presence of the disease, but also to show the key features of the disease that need to be taken into account in the treatment process. This set of indicators will be able to indicate the initial signs of overstretching or depletion of the thyroid gland even before the development of the disease. In this case, it will be possible to take wellness measures in a timely manner.
Do not trust the ready "thyroid" set of blood parameters, which is offered by the laboratory. Determine yourself the set of indicators.
If you want to save and minimize the number of indicators, then you can limit yourself to three main criteria - TSH, T4-free and T3-free. This is the base minimum. Fewer blood counts or their combination will not reliably determine the main signs of thyroid metabolism.
Remember that diagnostics only on TTG or on TTG and T4-free is defective.
In the future, the frequency of studies and the number of indicators should be determined by the clinician who conducted your diagnosis. Or your doctor.
In conclusion, we draw your attention to the book of Dr. A.V. Ushakov "Blood test for thyroid diseases", which was published in 2016 in our clinic. This is a book for patients. It will help you understand the results of your blood test, each indicator and independently navigate in the state of your thyroid gland.
This scheme in the movie about hormonal metabolism - from the book "Blood test for thyroid diseases":