Thyroid Tests: MedlinePlus

Thyroid Tests: MedlinePlus

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Thyroid Tests is theNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

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Thyroid Tests

Also called: Thyroid panel 

     

Summary

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in your body. They include how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. Thyroid tests check how well your thyroid is working. They are also used to diagnose and help find the cause ofthyroid diseases such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Thyroid tests include blood tests and imaging tests.

Blood tests for your thyroid include

• TSH - measures thyroid-stimulating hormone. It is the most accurate measure of thyroid activity.
• T3 and T4 - measure different thyroid hormones.
• TSI - measures thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin.
• Antithyroid antibody test - measures antibodies (markers in the blood).

Imaging tests include CT scans, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine tests. One type of nuclear medicine test is the thyroid scan. It uses small amounts of radioactive material to create a picture of the thyroid, showing its size, shape, and position. It can help find the cause of hyperthyroidism and check for thyroid nodules (lumps in the thyroid). Another nuclear test is the radioactive iodine uptake test, or thyroid uptake test. It checks how well your thyroid is working and can help find the cause of hyperthyroidism.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Latest News

• Thyroid Levels in High-Normal Range May Be Linked to Cardiac Arrest (09/06/2016, HealthDay)
• Scans Not Worthwhile for Most Thyroid Cancers: Study (07/21/2016, HealthDay)

Diagnosis and Tests

• MedlinePlus: Thyroid Tests  (National Library of Medicine)

Resources

• Free T4 (Thyroxine) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• T3 (Triiodothyronine) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Thyroid Antibodies (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Thyroid Diseases Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Thyroid Function Tests (American Thyroid Association)Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Scan and Uptake  (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology)Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Tests  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Ultrasound of the Thyroid Gland (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology)Also in Spanish

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The Diffuse Sclerosing Variant of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Presenting as...
• Article: Dietary energy requirements in relatively healthy maintenance hemodialysis patients estimated...
• Article: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY...
• Thyroid Tests -- see more articles

Patient Handouts

• Antithyroglobulin antibody Also in Spanish
• Antithyroid microsomal antibody Also in Spanish
• Fine needle aspiration of the thyroid Also in Spanish
• Radioactive iodine uptake Also in Spanish
• T3 test Also in Spanish
• T3RU test Also in Spanish
• T4 test Also in Spanish
• TBG - blood test Also in Spanish
• Thyroid scan Also in Spanish
• Thyroid ultrasound Also in Spanish
• TSH test Also in Spanish
• TSI Also in Spanish