How Having Hypothyroidism Actually Skews Thyroid Lab Testing: Part I

If you ask the majority of people who were diagnosed with hypothyroidism how they got their diagnosis, I bet their answer will be "because I had a high TSH."

Many more people are being misdiagnosed as not having hypothyroidism because of a "normal" TSH. They are being missed and aren't getting the help they need.

Using TSH testing by itself is a very flawed way of thinking. I've posted before on some of the problems with TSH testing...here's one more.

Hypothyroidism causes a person to make more mucin, which in turn holds onto water. It gets this water from sucking it out of areas that normally need it (like inside of every cell in the body). This is why people with hypothyroidism have a "swollen" look to them. They are retaining water.

So what does this have to do with TSH testing?

Well, one of the structures that swells is the pituitary gland. This is the gland that actually produces TSH to stimulate the thyroid to make thyroid hormones.

When the pituitary swells, it actually blunts the production of TSH.

So when a doctor goes to look at the results of the blood work, the blunted TSH production now falls lower and into the "normal" range. It is the symptoms of hypothyroidism (water retention) that is causing the labs to tell your doctor that according to this test, you do not have hypothyroidism.

Ironic, isn't it?

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