3 Crucial Thyroid Tests You Need to Know to Check Your Thyroid Hormone Levels

The thyroid gland plays an important role in regulating your body’s metabolism. This butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck region produces thyroid hormones such as calcitonin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones not only maintain your metabolism, but also play an important role in your overall growth and development.

Overproduction or deficiency of these hormones can cause various problems like Graves’ disease, goiter, and Hashimoto’s disease. Therefore, it is important to check your thyroid levels periodically. Blood tests can help you assess if your thyroid gland is working properly. Based on a doctor consultation, you may be asked to take a thyroid test such as T3, T4, TSH and T3RU. Read on to know more about the different types of thyroid tests and how to interpret them.

Check If You Have Hyperthyroidism with T3 Thyroid Test

A T3 test for hyperthyroidism helps to check if your thyroid gland is producing excess thyroid hormones. T3 or triiodothyronine hormone is a vital hormone for proper regulation of your metabolism. Check your thyroid test results if you notice the following hyperthyroidism symptoms. 

• Profuse sweating
• Increased heart rate
• Unexplained weight loss
• Frequent bowel movements
• Increased anxiety and nervousness

Though low values of T3 hormone in your blood may indicate hypothyroidism, T3 test is most commonly used to diagnose hyperthyroidism. The normal range of T3 hormone levels in your body is 100-200 ng/dL [1]. You can find elevated levels of T3 hormones if you have hyperthyroidism.

Higher T3 test values are possible even if you have low T4 or TSH results. You are asked to take a T3 test if your T4 and TSH levels also indicate hyperthyroidism. Abnormal T3 levels can indicate a condition called Graves’ disease.

Do T4 Test to Check If You Have an Overactive Thyroid

A T4 test helps to check the level of thyroxine hormone in your blood. If your T4 level is high or low, it indicates thyroid disorders. When there is a hormonal imbalance, you tend to feel fatigued and notice unexplained weight gain.

This test can be used to assess both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. While high T4 levels may indicate hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism is diagnosed with high T4 levels [2]. The normal T4 levels in an individual range between 5.0-11.0 μg/dL.

Check for Tsh Hormone Levels in Your Blood

TSH test or thyroid hormone stimulating test helps detect both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The TSH hormone is essential for your body as it instructs the gland on the quantity of T3 and T4 hormones that needs to be produced. TSH is produced in the pituitary gland of the brain. If your thyroid levels decrease, there is an excess production of TSH hormone. On the contrary, when there is high secretion of thyroid hormones, the pituitary gland secretes less TSH hormone into the blood.

A high TSH level seen in this hypothyroidism test indicates the presence of an underactive thyroid gland. On the other hand, if your thyroid gland is overactive, your TSH level will be low. However, in addition to this hypothyroidism blood test, you may need to undergo T3 and T4 tests to determine if there is a problem in your thyroid functioning. The normal TSH values in an individual range between 0.5-5.0 mIU/L [3]. 

Apart from a routine thyroid test, your doctor may also suggest that you undergo thyroid antibody tests. Measuring antibody levels may help detect thyroid disorders too. There are also imaging tests like an ultrasound to check for the formation of thyroid nodules in your neck.  

Since your thyroid plays such an important role, be sure to check your thyroid levels regularly. Book your blood tests on Bajaj Finserv Health to check your thyroid functioning easily and quickly. If your levels are abnormal, book an online doctor consultation and get advice from the comfort of your home.