Analyzes for thyroid hormones - the first assistant in the treatment

Today, various diseases and dangerous pathologies of the thyroid gland occur quite often. Especially, it concerns the beautiful half of humanity, as according to statistics its pathology is mainly observed in women. And I have to run around doctors to determine the usefulness and correction of the hormonal background, get medicine, take tests for thyroid hormones. However, few of the people thought about what the figures and indicators mean as a result of this procedure. Let's try to understand.

Hormones are highly active substances that produce glands of internal secretion, in particular, the thyroid gland. To the analysis of thyroid hormones, it is possible to include such indicators of T3 and T4, both general and free.

Hormones T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine) are referred to as thyroid hormones, which are both in the free and bound state in the blood serum.

In the protein-related condition, almost all hormones are found, with the exception of about one percent. In this state they are not active, it means - they can not exert their biological effect. Depending on the many different external factors, the concentration of bound hormones may change at times.

So lower the binding of hormones barbiturates, anabolic, salicylates, androgens, furosemide and glucocorticoids. A decrease in the level of bound hormones is observed in kidney damage and generalized diseases.

But in pregnancy, during the period of the newborn, tying up, on the contrary, increases. The concentration of protein-related hormones can change in the larger side when using estrogens and oral contraceptives, infection and chronic hepatitis, HIV and cirrhosis, porphyria and certain genetic diseases. And since this indicator often changes in one direction or another under the influence of many factors, not even associated with all kinds of diseases and changes in the thyroid gland, it has already been used less often.

Now, when a patient tests for thyroid hormones to pass recommended by a doctor, then only free T3 and T4 are prescribed. These are hormones that are in the blood in a free state, independent of external factors and reveal a real picture of the state and functioning of the thyroid gland. The number of them should always be the same, so the number given tells the doctor about the development of the disease.

Hormones are the main characteristic of the human genital function. If the work of at least one component of the whole system of the ovaries-the pituitary-hypothalamus changes, the work of the reproductive system also changes, so the ability to conceive decreases. Only in order to assess the status of the hormonal background of a woman, the attending physician prescribes an analysis for hormones during pregnancy.

The effectiveness of the thyroid gland is shown by the free fraction of the hormone T3, the hormone T4 is a changing form that turns into a hormone T3, if necessary. Basically, this is 30% of T4. As tests on hormones show, their norm in serum is as follows: 0,03% are free T4, and 0,3% are free T3.

The hormone T3 three times in its biological effect is more active than T4, and its half-life is almost 6 hours, whereas T4 is a week. The free hormone T3 changes quite often, even during one day, its fluctuations depend not only on the person's age, but also on chronic severe diseases. Therefore, it is advised to take tests for thyroid hormones in most cases only to determine the level of free T4.

In modern medicine, new scientific methods of hormone analysis are used. Different laboratories use different methods of research, but the most popular is the ELISA method.

To hand over analyzes on hormones of a thyroid gland it is necessary in the morning, on an empty stomach. If a person is already taking medications based on thyroid hormones, then on that day they should be canceled.