Kim wrote:

<< > I was tested a few years ago for thyroid and it
was normal >>


What was considered the "normal" range for thyroid
tests a few years ago has since been revised.  The
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
(AACE) have revised their recommended guidelines for
TSH levels as described in the following article
excerpt:

"According to the AACE, until November 2002, doctors
had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5 to
5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid
disorder who tested outside the boundaries of that
range. The new guidelines narrow the range for
acceptable thyroid function, and AACE is now
encouraging doctors to consider treatment for patients
who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin
based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04. AACE
believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis
for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild
thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now.
AACE estimates that the new guidelines double the
number of people who have abnormal thyroid function,
bringing the total to 27 million."

Full article at:

http://www.thyroid-info.com/news/janfeb2003.htm#endos

Also note that many doctors are still referring to the
earlier reference range as "normal."  And that even if
your numbers fall within "normal" if you have many of
the symptoms of hypo- or hyper- thyroid, you could
benefit from treatment.

Ask your doctor to run new labs, including TSH, Free
T3, and Free T4, as well as anti-TG and anti-TPO
thyroid antibodies to get a complete picture of your
thyroid status.  The antibodies test is especially
important because it's possible to have high thyroid
antibodies and still test within the normal TSH range.
 High thyroid antibodies are indicative of
Hashimoto's, or autoimmune thyroiditis, the most
common form of hypothyroidism.

And when the test results are in, don't settle for a
phone call from the doc's office telling you
everything's "normal."  Find out exactly what the
numbers are and the lab reference ranges.  Better yet,
get a copy of the lab report.  Patients are entitled
to received that information.


Lynda Bryson (diagnoses w/Hashimoto's 2001)
[log in to unmask]



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