Patients should not have to cross their fingers, wait, and hope for change. The hopes of hypo- and hyperthyroid patients focus on attaining individually-optimized treatment. Their hopes, wishes, and requests are not unreasonable. Effective treatment ought to alleviate symptoms and improve health outcomes. Relative changes in thyroid hormone doses have a measurable effect on certain … Continue reading 5 steps to individually-optimized thyroid therapy
Diagnostic concepts like "subclinical hypothyroidism" have become cognitive barriers to understanding the adaptations and dysfunctions of the aging hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Thyroid diagnostic categories are usually based on whether TSH and FT4 are in range, above range, or below range, in relation to an age-blind reference range. These are convenient biochemical stereotypes. These stereotypes have … Continue reading Four types of unstable thyroid function in the elderly
No one wants to be ageist or sexist in thyroid screening or diagnosis. But if we are blind to the way that age and sex can distort the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, our interpretations of thyroid hormone levels and TSH will inevitably become ageist and sexist by refusing to respect and accommodate human diversity. In a … Continue reading Age, sex and TSH-FT4-FT3 relationships: Advanced lessons
Scientists that study the effect of age on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), Free T4 (FT4) and Free T3 (FT3) thyroid hormones often exclude the age group from birth up to age 16, 18, or 19. They usually exclude children and teenagers because they know they are different. Describing their TSH and thyroid hormones is its own … Continue reading Pediatric and teenage TSH, FT4, and FT3 levels
Scientists have been explaining that TSH responds to thyroid hormones differently in childhood, early adulthood, late adulthood and very advanced age. This poses a problem for regions that have implemented TSH-only screening for thyroid dysfunction. The effect of age on TSH is one of many factors that can make this screening test less accurate (Ling … Continue reading Age bias may hide hypothyroidism under a normal TSH
