Hyperthyroidism or Hypothyroidism ?

Question

I got some blood tests done, and i talked to the nurse on the phone, and she said that my TSH was elevated, which led me to beleive i had hyperthyroidism. I talked to the doctor, and she says its hypo. I don't know who to believe. I have almost every symptom for Hyper. These are my blood test results:

TSH, 3rd Generation: 6.89 Ref Range: 0.40-4.50 mIU/L

Anyone know what this means? Thanks

Answer 1

Your TSH is borderline elevated. (the 'third generation' bit is irrelevant). High TSH indicates an underactive thyroid (hypothyroid). TSH is the body's way of yelling at the thyroid to work harder. But since your level is only slightly increased, I'd be surprised if you got diagnosed as hypothyroid based on just that. More likely you'd be followed up with some more tests in a couple of months. There are other reasons why you can get a bordeline high result, such as some medications and other kinds of illness. There is a way that you can have elevated TSH and be hyperthyroid (a "TSHoma") but you'd be one in a million!

Answer 2

get a second opinion, but ur level is quite above average and id say u have hyperthyroidism

Answer 3

Hypothyroidism here:

http://www.medicinenet.com/hypothyroidis...

Hyperthyroidism here:

http://www.medicinenet.com/hyperthyroidi...

But for a definate and correct answer - talk to your doctor again or get a second opinion.

Answer 4

If your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is high, it means you are HYPOactive.  Your body is putting out more hormone to try and stimulate your thyroid into working harder.

Answer 5

You assumed you were hyperthyroid...the nurse just said your TSH was high.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced in the pituitary gland and it is secreted in response to low blood levels of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland.  If the thyroid is producing sufficient hormones, TSH is not needed.  If the thyroid is not producing sufficient hormones (hypothyroidism), then the pituitary secretes high levels of TSH to stimulate the thyroid to secrete more thyroid hormones.

So, a person with hypothyroidism will have elevated TSH levels....you are hypothyroid.

Answer 6

Get a second opinion and do not rely on only one doctor and also repeat lab tests to confirm diagnosis...

Answer 7

If the thyroid gland is under active and not producing enough thyroid hormone the brain tells it to pick up the pace and it does so by increasing how much TSH it secretes into the blood. Thus an elevated TSH is an indication that someone is hypothyroid. Your level is elevated which does mean you are Hypo.

TSH, 3rd Generation is the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - the number is the amount in your blood. a normal range for TSH for adults is between 0.4 and 5.0 uIU/mL . The reference ranges provided are determined from a wide population base, meaning where your levels are at compared to bigger population.  

Answer 8

Hyper is ~ less than 0.3 TSH

Normal is somewhere around 0.5 to 2.5ish.

Hypo is > 2.5 or so, but as I understand most bad symptoms kick in around 2.5.

TSH is a pituitary hormone that is produced to stimulate the thyroid, so high levels of TSH occur due to low levels of thyroid hormones.  This is  a common source of misunderstanding.

Answer 9

Your question is difficult to answer without more knowledge of your symptoms, your physical exam, and other tests that were ordered.  The answers that state that elevated TSH is assoicated with hypothyroidism are correct if the normal feedback loops that regulate thyroid function are intact, but it is possible for this feedback loop to be abnormal.  

In a normal individual, increased levels of thyroid hormone lead to decreased secretion of TSH by the pituitary.  Conversely, low thyroid hormone levels lead to increased TSH production.  However, it is possible to have a pituitary tumor that abnormally secretes TSH, in which case your TSH level would be elevated and your thyroid hormone would be elevated because the thyroid is responding normally to the TSH and the tumor producing TSH does not respond to feedback like normal pituitary tissue would.

Tumors of this sort are uncommon, though, comprising only about 1-2% of pituitary adenomas.  Most of the other answers given here are correct in the general sense, but I just wanted to point out that there are other scenarios.  And, as a point of emphasis, it is essentially impossible to give an adequate answer pertaining to your specific condition without a lot of information that is not possible to obtain over the internet.

Answer 10

This may help u

TSH - High              

T4- Normal    

T3-  Normal      

Interpretation- Mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism

  

TSH-High

T4-Low

T3-Low or normal

Interpretation-Hypothyroidism