Posted by Phillipa on August 7, 2008, at 14:06:13
In reply to Re: Thyroid problems and Head Meds, posted by Phillipa on August 7, 2008, at 13:50:13
Maybe search around here. Phillipa
HealthBoards.com Message Boards > Health Issues > Thyroid Disorders > HASHIMOTO'S AND LAB VALUES
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------LEXUSWEGG11-11-2002, 12:19 PM
MY DOC SAID HE IS 90% SURE ABOUT ME HAVING HASHIMOTO'S, THEY THOUGHT IT WAS LUPUS BUT NOW HE SAYS HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS. I HAVE BEEN SICK FOR THE LAST 10 OR SO MONTHS WITH FEVER, JOINT PAIN AND FATIGUE BEING THE MOST COMMON. MY HEART RATE HAS BEEN STAYING AROUND 120 FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS. THE LABS CAME BACK AND THE ANA WAS POSITIVE AGAIN, THIS TIME IT WAS ONLY 1:40 - HOMOGENOUS PATTERN, LAST TIME IT WAS 1:160 WITH SPECKLED. THE AB ANTIBODIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
AB THYROBLOB 72.6 REF RANGE <1.0IU/ML
AB THY PEROXIDA 43.9 REF RANGE <2.0 IU/ML
TSH 1.62 REF RANGE .34-4.82
>T3 FREE 352 REF RANGE 230-420 PG/DL
>T4 FREE 1.4 REF RANGE .9-1.8 NG/DL
CAN THE ANTIBODIES CAUSE SYMPTOMS WITH EVERTHING ELSE IN NORMAL RANGE? I MEAN, MY DOC HAS REFERRED ME TO AN ENDOCRENOLOGIST (SPELLING) BUT WITH MY LABS IN NORMAL RANGE, IS THERE ANY REASON TO EVEN SEE A SPECIALIST? ARE THE ANTIBODY LEVELS SIGNIFICANT? I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO READ THOSE, IS IT LIKE THE ANA READING? ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ArtfulD11-11-2002, 12:46 PM
Hi LEXUSWEGG. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder in which antithyroid antibodies attack the thyroid gland tissue and prevent it from producing hormone.From the results you posted, your doctor tested you for two types of Antithyroid Antibodies: AntiThyroglobulin Antibodies - which attack the thyroglobulin protein -- a protein necessary to produce thyroid hormone) and Antithyroid Microsomal Antibodies - measured by the Antithyroid Peroxidase ("TPO") assay and also referred to as Anti-TPO antibodies.
Both of these levels were elevated in your recent test results, confirming the diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis that your doctor mentioned. Additional thyroid antibodies can also be tested, including Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins (which can make a person Hyper). A person can have any combination of antibodies at any time.
The ANA also measures antibodies related to autoimmune disorders, but while an elevated ANA level may occur along with thyroid disease, it does not always indicate thyroiditis. This is why your doctor conducted the other tests.
Antibody-related Thyroiditis generally causes symptoms that fluctuate between Hypo and Hyper (or sometimes presents a combination of both). It is quite common for the symptoms to occur before the blood levels become abnormal; the presence of antibodies explain why the patient isn't "normal." Laboratory reference ranges for "normal" vary, but most adult females feel best when their TSH is at or below 1.0 and their Free T3 and Free T4 levels are in the middle of the lab's ranges. Adult males may feel best when their TSH is much lower (some prefer below 0.1).
Treatment typically consists of thyroid medication (as appropriate for the patient's blood levels and symptoms). It is best to see an Endocrinologist who specializes in Thyroid Disease and who is familiar with Antibody-related thyroiditis so that you will have a doctor who listens and treats your overall symptoms (rather than telling you that your blood levels are normal and that's all that matters).
Treatment is important because persistent antibodies will destroy the thyroid gland and may cause growth of additional tissue (nodules or cysts) as the gland tries to overcompensate for the missing hormone.
Supplements that may help include Selenium (maximum dose 200 mcg/day) and Maca. Recent studies have shown that Selenium may help fight thyroid antibodies while also helping the body to metabolize and absorb thyroid hormone. Maca (a type of Peruvian turnip) helps balance all the body's hormones and also supports the adrenals, which tend to become stressed during flare-ups of thyroiditis.
If you've not yet had a chance, read through our Information Archive thread. This three-page thread includes posts with symptoms lists, notes about thyroiditis and antibodies, supplements, and much more.
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum118/HTML/000005.html
poster:Phillipa
thread:844759
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080805/msgs/844800.html