Understanding Thyroid Test Results

Understanding Thyroid Test Results


Sometimes it can be quite tough to understand what the results of your thyroid tests mean. If you want a better understanding of the results, you should visit your doctor and ask him or her to clear your doubts and answer your queries. Your endocrinologist is the best person to help you understand what your test results mean.

How to Understand Thyroid Test Results

Here Are a Few Points That Can Help You Interpret and Understand The Results Of Your Thyroid Tests:

  • Check your Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) level. In most laboratories, about 0.5 to 5.5 is considered a normal range, but that was up until the later part of the year 2002. As of the start of 2003, .3 to 3.3 is the normal range.

  • If the THS level given in your test result is below normal, you may be diagnosed as having an overactive thyroid which means that you are a hyperthyroid patient.

  • If the THS level in your result is above normal, you have an underactive thyroid, meaning that you are a hypothyroid patient.

  • If you went through a test known as Total Thyroxine, or Total T4, the normal range is about 4.5 to 12.5. If your results show a high TSH and a low reading, it may be an indication of hypothyroidism.

  • If you had a low TSH and a low reading as well, your doctor may check to see if you have a pituitary problem.

  • If a test known as Free Thyroxine, or Free T4, was conducted and the result shows a range that is lower than 0.7, it may be an indication of hypothyroidism. In Free T4 tests, the normal range is considered to be about 0.7 to 2.0.

  • In Total T3 tests, the normal range is considered to be about 80 to 220. If your results show a range below 80, your doctor may consider it to be an indication of hypothyroidism.

  • In Free T3 tests, about 2.3 to 4.2 is the normal range. If your test results show a range below 2.3, it may be an indication of hypothyroidism.

Reviewed By:

Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)

Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad