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Annual Test for Thyroid Function | |
By DR. MANFRED BLUM People over the age of 35 should consider asking their physician to perform a blood test for abnormal thyroid function at their annual physical examination. That's especially true for anyone who is experiencing the subtle symptoms of mild hypothyroidism, the medical term for low thyroid function. Those symptoms can include intolerance of cold, dry skin, depression, fatigue, mild weight gain, constipation, menstrual irregularities in women and infertility. Someone suffering from severe hypothyroidism has a puffy face, with a dull expression and droopy eyelids. The skin is coarse, thick and dry and the hair is sparse and coarse. There can be memory loss and other mental impairments. Yet someone can be suffering from mild hypothyroidism without feeling any symptoms. Low thyroid function is associated with high blood cholesterol levels that can clog arteries and possibly result in a heart attack. One benefit of detecting and treating mild hypothyroidism is a reduction in blood lipids which may retard arteriosclerosis. In personal terms, treatment of mild hypothyroidism may eliminate bothersome symptoms, enhance well-being, productivity and health. Treatment will prevent progression to severe hypothyroidism. The incidence of hypothyroidism goes up with age. The condition is many times as common in women as in men. Until recently, some medical authorities did not recommend routine thyroid function tests. But a recent study by epidemiologists at Johns Hopkins University concluded that "the cost-effectiveness of screening for mild thyroid dysfunction compares favorably with other generally accepted preventive medical practices." The cost-effectiveness was highest in older women, they said. The screening test looks at blood levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which is produced by the pituitary gland. As thyroid hormone blood levels go down, TSH levels go up. Once hypothyroidism is detected, the treatment used is thyroid hormone medication in a dose that must be carefully monitored to restore blood levels of thyroxine, with the normalization of the TSH level as a guide. There is an added benefit to thyroid testing with TSH. When the pituitary gland senses that the thyroid hormone level is too high, it stops secreting TSH. Therefore, the same screening test can also detect excessive thyroid activity or hyperthyroidism which also causes abnormal symptoms and is treatable. --- Dr. Manfred Blum is Professor in Clinical Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. Copyright 1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | |