Health by Numbers Module 2- TSH

1. TSH

2. 
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in
your neck, just above your collarbone. It is
one of your endocrine glands, which make
hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate
of many activities in your body. These include
how fast you burn calories and how fast your
heart beats. All of these activities are your
body's metabolism.

3. 

If your thyroid gland is not active enough,
it is called hypothyroidism. It can make you
gain weight, feel fatigued, and have
difficulty dealing with cold temperatures.
If your thyroid is too active, it makes more
thyroid hormones than your body needs.
That condition is called hyperthyroidism.
Too much thyroid hormone can make you
lose weight, speed up your heart rate, and
make you very sensitive to heat.

4. 
Usually the first blood test performed is the
TSH test. TSH is the key hormone for
diagnosing hyperthyroidism and
hypothyroidism. If results of the TSH test are
abnormal, one or more additional tests are
needed to help determine the cause of the
problem.

5. 
In people whose thyroid produces too much
thyroid hormone, the pituitary shuts down
TSH production, leading to low or even
undetectable TSH levels in the blood. An
abnormally low TSH level suggests
hyperthyroidism.

6. 

In people whose thyroid is not functioning
normally and produces too little thyroid
hormone, the thyroid cannot respond
normally to TSH by producing thyroid
hormone. As a result, the pituitary keeps
making TSH, trying to get the thyroid to
respond. An abnormally high TSH level
suggests hypothyroidism.
Watch the video in the next section to
increase your understanding of thyroid
issues.