Thyroid Activity
Your thyroid gland is located in the throat's front. It is in charge of several crucial bodily processes, including:
Metabolism (the process of using food as fuel)
heart activity
muscle activity
Digestion
Bone preservation
These processes slow down when your thyroid function is low. You might put on weight, experience fatigue and sluggishness, and heal slowly.4
Excess thyroid activity accelerates these procedures. This may result in unintentional weight loss, agitation, and a rapid heartbeat.
Thyroid Illness
A healthcare professional can determine if you have: by comparing the outcomes of different thyroid tests.
Low thyroid function, or hypothyroidism
Autoimmune hypothyroidism, or Hashimoto's thyroiditis
excessive thyroid function (hyperthyroidism)
(Autoimmune hyperthyroidism) Graves' disease
Your immune system mistakenly targets healthy tissues in autoimmune thyroid disease as though they were bacteria or viruses.
Thyroid Blood Tests and Care: Side Effects
A standard blood draw is used to conduct thyroid blood tests. At that point, a syringe is used to take blood from you and send it to a lab. The risks associated with this procedure are minimal.
Rarely, but occasionally, people who have their blood drawn experience nausea or dizziness. Immediately notify the medical staff if you experience any of these side effects.10
Later, you might see a tiny bruise or experience some tenderness where the needle was inserted. This can be helped by using an ice pack or an over-the-counter pain reliever.
If the insertion site is at any of the following locations:10
Red Swollen
extremely painful
These indicate an infection that requires antibiotic treatment.
Reference Points for Tests
Thyroid blood test results are presented with what is referred to as a reference range. This range indicates the "normal" or anticipated levels that healthcare professionals can typically expect to see from the tests.
Anything within this range is typically regarded as normal.1 Test results that are on the borderline of either the upper or lower limit are not considered normal.
The optimal reference range, in which thyroid function is deemed ideal, is a "sweet spot" in the middle of the reference range.
Analyzing the Results
To give meaning to test results, interpretation is required. The TSH test is arguably the one that provides the most information about your thyroid function. In addition to free T3 and free T4 test results, the TSH may even point to the root of a thyroid issue.
Summary
There are numerous thyroid blood tests available, including those for thyroid hormones, thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroid antibodies, and thyroid cancer markers. Their combined findings can provide a thorough picture of how well your thyroid is functioning.
Each test, which examines thyroid function in a different way, has a common standard by which the test results are interpreted. They can be used to make a diagnosis or to keep track of how well your treatments are working.