>From:    John McMahon <[log in to unmask]>


>TSH                        2.042     range 0.35--5.500
>
>Thyroxine (T4)        12.1        range 4.5--12.0
>
>T3 uptake                21          range 24-39
>
>Free Thyroxine Index    2.5    range 1.2--4.9
>
>
>I have not been to see the doctor about this yet, but in his scribbling on
>the test it says that the abnormalities are probably due to the hepatitis.

First, median TSH in large studies is 1.5.  Second even people with good TSH 
levels are sometimes still hypothyroid.

Third, the active thyroid hormone is T3.  That wasn't measured.  (T3 uptake 
is a strange calculation that has something to do with binding proteins, it 
does not in any way measure T3.)

T4 is an inactive hormone, mainly a storage vehicle for T3.  T3 is  made by 
an organ taking a molecule of iodine from T4 to make active T3.   Most of 
the active T3 is de-iodinezed in the liver, but some of the organs also have 
a way to take iodine away and make T3.

Anyway, with liver problems which hepatitis implies, it would not be a 
surprise if you had problems converting T4 to T3.  That in some cases 
explains why a person would have high T4 levels, because it doesn't 
efficiently turn to T3.  Once again, no one took your T3 levels.  Lack of T4 
does not make anyone hypothyroid, lack of T3 does.

Many people with thyroid symptoms but normal labs get better when treated 
adequately for hypothyroidism.

So, he knew the abnormalities might be caused by hepatitis (the liver) but 
didn't bother running the T3 test.  (It's either total T3 or Free T3, and 
most people think the Free T3 readings are best.)  He probably did more than 
a lot of doctors would have.

Most doctors would look at those labs and not recognize hypothyroidism, and 
if there weren't symptoms, they'd probably be right.

Skipper

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