In the human body, the thyroid gland accumulates iodine and produces hormones containing it. It also synthesizes calcitonite, compensating for the wear of bones, accelerating the growth of their tissue and preventing its destruction. The gland in the neck is located under the larynx before the trachea on the surface of the thyroid cartilage. In shape, it resembles a butterfly. If the gland functions are impaired, diseases can occur. You can diagnose them in time and take measures only by knowing which hormones to pass to the thyroid gland through analysis.
Who needs hormone testing?
Since thyroid hormones regulate vital processes, take part in the mental activity and functioning of the cardiovascular and central nervous system, all people need to control their condition, regardless of gender and age. However, it is especially important to know what hormones are given to the thyroid gland for women, since it is possible to get pregnant, normally take out and give birth to a healthy baby only at the normal level of these biologically active substances.
The baby needs hormones during fetal development. With their help, the nervous system is formed, the brain works. Intrauterine processes will subsequently have a great impact on the intellect of an already born and growing baby.
The thyroid gland of the fetus begins to form already at 4-5 weeks, but it can only perform its functions at 12 weeks. Therefore, it is very important to know the analysis of which thyroid hormones to take during pregnancy.
The body of a born and grown child is no less important the normal production of biologically active substances by the thyroid gland. Fat and carbohydrate metabolism depend on this, in case of failures in which unhealthy weight loss and muscle weakness occurs. The normal functioning of the brain, nervous and circulatory systems is especially important for children, since failures in them lead to irreversible consequences. Therefore, parents need to know which tests for which thyroid hormones to pass to the child.
What are the signs of thyroid dysfunction?
It is important not only theoretically to know what hormones to pass to the thyroid gland, but also to be able to recognize the signs in which tests should be done immediately. Specific symptoms of gland dysfunction, such as the appearance of goiter or protrusion of the eyeballs, are hard to miss, and people usually go to the doctor right away.
But some signs are less pronounced, you can ignore them for a long time, and thereby expose your health to serious danger. These include:
- cardiac arrhythmia, accompanied by shortness of breath;
- weakness and drowsiness;
- frequent manifestations of respiratory diseases;
- menstrual irregularities;
- painful thinness;
- hair loss;
- muscle and joint pain;
- increased sweating;
- decreased ability to concentrate on something;
- emotional instability;
- reproductive disorders.
Of course, any of these symptoms may indicate pathologies that are not associated with abnormalities in the endocrine system. Nevertheless, it is worth considering what hormones you need to pass in order to check the thyroid gland, since it is better to immediately make sure that everything is in order with the gland and look for the true causes that cause unpleasant symptoms.
How to prepare for analysis
If you decide to check the endocrine system, you need to decide which tests to take for thyroid hormones. Everything is simple here, for research, blood is taken from the ulnar vein. What day to take thyroid hormones, the doctor prescribes. But in order for the results to be as accurate as possible, you need to prepare for the analysis correctly, and it is better to start one more week before the appointed date.
In preparation, you need to refuse to take medications, exclude alcohol from drinking, and try to smoke less. A few days before the analysis, you can not undergo physiotherapeutic procedures and perform vigorous physical exercises. Whenever possible, stressful situations should be avoided. Pleasant unrest at this time, unfortunately, is also contraindicated.
Then you need to abandon harmful products: instant food, caffeinated and sugary drinks, confectionery, as well as fried, pickled, fatty, salty and spicy dishes. Instead, you need to eat light natural foods.
On the day of the study, from morning until the very moment of the delivery of the material, you should not eat, smoke or even brush your teeth. You can drink only a little clean drinking water.
Donate blood in the morning. It is best at 7: 30-8: 00, since it is at this time that the hormones are maximally active, but you can do this a little later, the main thing is to catch up to 10-11 a.m. During blood sampling, the patient needs to be calm, his pulse and pressure should meet normal indicators.
It must be remembered that during the delivery of material the body should be as healthy as possible. The inflammatory and infectious processes occurring in it, including a cold or a slight runny nose, can distort the correct picture.
What concentrations of hormones and antibodies are considered normal
For which thyroid hormones donate blood, you can contact your doctor. Typically, thyroid hormones secreted by the microscopic tissue of the gland are triiodothyronine (TK) and thyroxine (T4). They have common physiological properties, since both are derivatives of the tyrosine amino acids. Only the triiodothyronine molecule contains 3 iodine atoms, while thyroxine has 4 atoms. Hormones are in the blood serum. Their free forms are active, but those associated with proteins are not.
In addition to the class of iodothyronines that regulate the state of metabolism, the thyroid gland produces the polypeptide hormone calcitonin. It affects the phosphorus-calcium metabolism and, among others, is involved in the processes of growth and development of the bone apparatus.
But not only the listed substances need to be identified in the blood in order to fully check the thyroid gland. Which hormones to take an analysis for complete control of the condition of the gland are listed in the following list:
- Thyrotropin. This biologically active substance is secreted by the pituitary gland, however, the formation and secretion of thyroxine and triiodothyronine depends on this hormone. Therefore, if thyrotropin is released less than 0.4 milliunits per liter of blood, the thyroid hormones become too much, and if its concentration becomes higher than 4.0 milliunits per liter, on the contrary, it is not secreted enough.
- Triiodothyronine. Of course, a complete study can not do without indicators of the concentration of a hormone secreted directly by the thyroid gland and stimulating the exchange and absorption of oxygen by tissues. If the thyroid gland normally performs its functions, triiodothyronine in a free state will be from 2.6 to 5.7 picomoles per liter of blood.
- Thyroxine. The concentration of the free form of the second thyroid hormone, which stimulates protein synthesis, should vary from 9 to 22 picomoles per liter.
- Antibodies to thyroglobulin. To obtain a complete picture of the state of the endocrine gland, it is necessary to find out not only the concentration of various hormones, but also to determine the amount of antibodies to the protein precursor of triiodothyronine and thyroxine. This is an important parameter that allows you to detect the presence of diseases of the gland, having an autoimmune nature. Usually they are not, if the number of antibodies does not exceed 18 units per milliliter.
- Antibodies to thyroid peroxidase. A more sensitive method is the determination of autoantibodies to the enzyme of endocrine gland cells. Normally, their number should not exceed 5.6 units per milliliter.
All of these substances are those antibodies and hormones that are given to the thyroid gland. For women, men and children, there are no differences in this regard.
Diseases associated with a lack or excess of hormones
What hormones to pass to the thyroid gland depends on what disease is suspected. For example, an increased content of thyroxine entails poisoning of the body by it - hyperthyroidism, the extreme degree of which leads to a bazedovy disease, a dangerous occurrence of complications, in particular, heart failure.
But the lack of thyroxine leads to sad consequences. Its deficiency threatens with hypothyroidism, at an early age flowing into cretinism, characterized by a delay in physical and mental development, and in mature - into myxedema. The latter means mucous edema, resulting from a violation of protein metabolism and the accumulation of tissue fluid.
Hyperthyroidism treatment
Why do I need to take thyroid hormone tests on time? Of course, in order to diagnose possible diseases in the early stages, cure them and prevent the development of complications. Detected hyperthyroidism is treated with thyrostatic drugs, for example, Tiamazole, as well as following a special diet. Proper nutrition with an excess of hormones implies the use of a sufficient amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates with food, as well as providing the body with vitamins from fruits and vegetables and mineral salts from milk and lactic acid products. At the same time, chocolate, spices, coffee, strong tea and other dishes and drinks that excite the central nervous and cardiovascular system are excluded from the diet or at least limited.
Hypothyroidism Treatment
If thyroid hormone deficiency is diagnosed, therapy with their synthetic counterparts is performed. As medicines can be used "Thyroidin", "Tireotom", "Tireokomb." Individual selection of doses is carried out based on the fact that per day an adult needs 1.4-1.7 μg of thyroxine per 1 kg of body weight, and children need up to 4 μg per 1 kg of body weight. Sometimes this dose increases almost 2 times.
Usually the first 2.5-3 weeks, the patient takes no more than 25 mcg of the drug per day. Then this amount increases to 50 mcg, after another 2-3 weeks to 75 mcg, and so on until the dose chosen by the doctor is reached. All this time, clinical symptoms are monitored, the content of hormones in the blood is determined every 1.5-2 months. It is especially important to observe such a regimen for the elderly.
Other thyroid diseases
There are other diseases of the thyroid gland, which at first glance are not related to the regulation of hormones. For example, autoimmune thyroiditis, which is a chronic inflammation of the endocrine gland. The mechanism of the disease is not fully understood, but its cause is a genetic defect in immunity, as a result of which antibodies take endocrine gland cells as foreign and attack them, making destructive changes in the tissue.
As a result of this process, inhibition of the function of the gland is inevitable, because of which = it produces too few biologically active substances, and sometimes vice versa, their excess is temporarily formed. Therefore, it is better to know which hormones should be passed to the thyroid gland, even with seemingly unrelated pathologies.
Another disease that is relatively unrelated to hormones is called thyroid adenoma. It is a benign tumor and may not be accompanied by a change in the production of biologically active substances. But toxic adenoma is characterized by their excessive release, therefore, in this case, you will need to know which thyroid hormones to take analysis for.
If a malignant tumor forms on the endocrine gland, cancer is diagnosed. In this case, ultrasound methods are used to confirm the presence of a node, and in the study of blood, the main attention is paid to the presence of tumor markers. However, knowing which thyroid hormones to be tested for is still useful, because in case of changes in the production of thyroid-stimulating hormone, it will be possible to expect the tumor to be benign, and the measurement of thyrocalcitonin will show whether the cancer is medullary.
Autoimmune thyroiditis treatment
Inflammatory disease of the endocrine gland is treated with a combination of thyroid drugs with glucocorticoids, for example, Prednisolone. Such drugs are not always used, but only in cases where subacute thyroiditis additionally occurs. Unlike thyroid drugs, they are first taken in a large daily dose (about 40 mg), and then it gradually decreases. Additionally, selenium preparations can be prescribed. Taking them for 3 months, you can significantly reduce the level of autoantibodies to peroxidase, which will positively affect well-being.
If the disease progresses rapidly, the thyroid gland enlarges so much that it compresses the trachea or vessels of the neck, resorting to surgical intervention.
Thyroid cancer
The main method of treatment of thyroid cancer is its partial or complete removal. The most gentle intervention is the excision of one lobe of the gland, but this is only possible with the diagnosis of cancer in the very early stages. More often it is necessary to remove almost the entire tissue, and with the advanced form of the disease, completely remove the thyroid gland. In the latter case, a person will be forced to artificially normalize the hormonal background through replacement therapy until the end of his life.
The doctor can finally decide how much surgery the patient needs after a full examination, diagnosis of the form and stage of the cancer, as well as the presence of metastases.
Another method widely used in oncology is radiation, but it is ineffective in thyroid cancer. Instead, radioiodine therapy is usually used, consisting in taking capsules or a solution of radioactive iodine. It accumulates in metastases and destroys them. The method provides good results and improves the prognosis of the patient if the tumor is not radio-resistant.
Conclusion
So, what hormones to pass to the thyroid gland, largely depends on the suspected disease. In general, triiodothyronine and thyroxine are always tested. It will not be superfluous to find out the content of thyrotropin secreted by the pituitary gland and stimulating the activation of thyroid hormones. Calcitonitis is a tumor marker, and its determination is important for the early diagnosis of medullary cancer.