Thyroid test
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that makes two thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid hormones control how the body uses energy. Many people with thyroid disease aren’t aware of their disorder because they haven’t been tested. If you have definite symptoms of thyroid disorders (underactive or overactive), you should talk to your doctor about being tested. Health care professionals use thyroid tests to check how well your thyroid is working and to find the causes of possible problems. Thyroid tests help health care professionals diagnose thyroid diseases such as hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
What kind of emotional problems might a person experience in a thyroid dysfunction?
Whatever your type of thyroid disorder, it can make you feel more emotional than you felt before and you may find that your mood changes, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Common emotional problems are:
- Overactivity
- Anxiety: a feeling of nervousness, heart racing and trembling
- Underactivity
- Depression: difficulty enjoying things, tearfulness, loss of appetite and disturbed sleep
- Anxiety: this can be a result of the thyroid condition itself or from worries about managing the things that are expected of them in daily life
Why you may need a thyroid test?
You may need a TSH test if you have symptoms of hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone in your blood), or hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone). One of these tests is called the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test. When thyroid disease is caught early, treatment can control the disorder even before the onset of symptoms. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism include:
- Hypothyroidism:
- Anxiety
- Weight loss
- Increased heart rate
- Difficulty sleeping
- Hypothyroidism:
- Weight gain
- Tiredness
- Hair loss
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Constipation
What do the results mean?
High TSH levels can mean your thyroid is not making enough thyroid hormones, a condition called hypothyroidism. Low TSH levels can mean your thyroid is making too much of the hormones, a condition called hyperthyroidism. A TSH test does not explain why TSH levels are too high or too low. If your test results are abnormal, your health care provider will probably order additional tests to determine the cause of your thyroid problem. These tests may include:
- T4 thyroid hormone tests
- T3 thyroid hormone tests
- Tests to diagnose Graves’ disease
- Tests to diagnose Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Treatment of thyroid disorders
Hyperthyroidism
- Antithyroid medications (e.g. PTU)
- Radioactive iodine
- Surgical removal of the thyroid gland
Hypothyroidism:
- Replacing the thyroid hormone
Reference:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17557-thyroid-disease-description
http://www.btf-thyroid.org/information/leaflets/37-psychological-symptoms-guide
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8541-thyroid-disease
https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/tsh-thyroid-stimulating-hormone-test/
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diagnostic-tests/thyroid
https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/do-you-need-a-thyroid-test
