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Endocrinology Tests / The Comprehensive Thyroid Assessment
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| The thyroid gland has been called the "great imitator" for the fast number of medical conditions it can mimic. |
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The Comprehensive Thyroid Assessment is a thorough analysis of thyroid hormone metabolism, including central thyroid gland regulation and activity, thyroid production and secretion, peripheral thyroid conversion, and thyroid autoimmunity. This test allows the practitioner to pinpoint common imbalances that underlie a broad spectrum of chronic illness.
Thyroid hormones are essential and primary regulators of the body's metabolism. Imbalances can affect virtually every metabolic process in the body, exerting significant effects on mood and energy level. Thyroid function has a profound impact on overall health via its modulation of carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism, vitamin utilization, mitochondrial function, digestive process, muscle and nerve activity, blood flow, oxygen utilization, hormone secretion, sexual and reproductive health, and many other physiological parameters.
One of the most common hormonal disorders, hypothyroidism has been called the "great imitator" for the vast number of medical conditions it can mimic. Thyroid imbalances may elicit fatigue, depression, coldness, constipation, poor skin, headaches, PMS, dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), fluid retention, weight gain, anxiety/panic attacks, decreased memory and concentration, muscle and joint pain, and low sex drive.
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Analytes: • Hypersensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
• free thyroxine (fT4)
• free triiodothyronine (fT3)
• reverse T3 (rT3)
• anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG)
• anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO)
• fT4/fT3
• fT3/rT3
Specimen Requirements:
4ml serum in SST | |
The Comprehensive Thyroid Assessment reveals imbalances that often go undetected with more limited assessments. Unbound levels of T4 and T3 are measured to reflect the bioactive portion of thyroid hormone, increasing clinical insight. This assessment can identify not only overt hyper- and hypothyroidism, but subtle sub-clinical manifestations of thyroid dysfunction, such as auto-immune reactions and altered peripheral conversion into T3 leading to reverse T3 dominance. These metabolic anomalies may trigger chronic symptoms, and promote the gradual development of degenerative disorders.
The Comprehensive Thyroid Assessment can detect metabolic irregularities arising from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, heavy metal toxicity, chronic stress, enzyme dysfunction, and aging even when TSH and T4 levels are normal. Thyroid antibody levels help gauge autoimmune response frequently associated with antigenic cross-reactivity and gastrointestinal dysfunction, which may require additional clinical investigation and focused intervention. Thyroid antibody levels may rise in response to trauma, dysbiosis, inflammation (including thyroiditis) and progressive thyroid degeneration. At high levels, antibodies may block thyroid hormones from attaching to cellular receptors, causing symptoms of hypothyroidism even when thyroid hormone levels are adequate.
Ensuring healthy thyroid function is a valuable tool in preventive medicine. Optimal thyroid function may help safeguard against the onset of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression. Thyroid hormones also play central metabolic roles in healthy sexual and reproductive function in both women and men. Because they are essential for IGF-1 production, thyroid hormones significantly affect lipid metabolism.
What You Should Know
This test may reveal important clinical information about:
- Central thyroid dysregulation indicating primary or secondary thyroid disease or dysfunction, associated with fatigue, depression, coldness, hair loss, headaches, PMS, menstrual irregularities, fluid retention, unexplained weight gain or weight loss, anxiety or panic attacks, decreased memory or concentration, muscle and joint pain, low libido, and infertility
- Peripheral thyroid imbalances arising from nutrient shortages, heavy metal exposure, adrenal stress, enzyme deficiencies, and other chronic illness, which may result in functional hypothyroidism, known variously as euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS), low T3 syndrome, or Wilson's syndrome
- Thyroid antibody levels, to gauge autoimmune response that can interfere with thyroid receptor function and promote inflammatory diseases like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, or postpartum thyroiditis
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