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Date: | Tue, 15 Jul 1997 03:25:45 EDT |
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I'm no expert, but I read a lot. "Highly sensitive", with regard to TSH
tests, refers to assays that are able to detect slighter changes or
differences in blood hormone levels. Not all labs use equally
sophisticated testing. This sensitivity is particularly important in the
very-low-TSH part of the scale, down around the .1 (older tests didn't
distinguish below 1) and in titrating dosages very precisely to a
particular patient's needs. The highly-sensitive TSH enables doctors to
distinguish very slightly hyperthyroid and hypothyroid conditions from
normal ones.
That's a really crude explanation, I know, but it does point up the
importance of your doctor's using the most advanced laboratory possible.
Remember reading about antibody tests sometimes taking forever to get
results? Quite possibly a savvy doctor sending them to the reknowned
Nicholls (sp?) lab in CA.
Deanna
On Mon, 14 Jul 1997 10:11:25 +0000 Laura Dolson <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>Buried in my long intro was a question no one has answered yet, so I
>wanted to try asking it separately.
>
>When I called my MD to get the results of my tests 2 years ago, they
>both had "highly sensitive" beside the result. The clerk didn't know
>what this meant - does anyone here? I'm guessing it means that the
>test is likely reliable?
>
>Thanks-
>
>Laura D.
>
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