Hypothyroidism
is often not even suspected. Largely on account of its often vague signs and symptoms,
it can be easily confused with other conditions like natural ageing process, menopause
or stress. Many patients remain undiagnosed and untreated for years due to their
lack of awareness of hypothyroidism and its signs and symptoms.
A trained
professional can make a tentative diagnosis of hypothyroidism through investigation
of a patient's signs and symptoms. One particular sign that provides strong evidence
of a thyroid disorder is a goitre, or enlarged thyroid gland. A patient may describe
it as a change in the appearance of the neck, difficulty or discomfort in swallowing,
hoarseness, or pain or swelling of the neck.
Thyroid disorders can be
detected with a simple blood test. The sensitive Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
test, considered by most experts to be the front line test for checking thyroid
function, is the most valuable single method to discover or confirm hypothyroidism.
A simple blood test, the TSH test enables physicians to identify even mild cases
of hypothyroidism before symptoms appear.
A high TSH level usually indicates
that the thyroid gland is failing to produce enough thyroid hormone. If TSH results
come back showing higher than normal levels, you may have hypothyroidism or mild
thyroid failure. TSH is a sensitive enough diagnostic tool to even detect sub-clinical
hypothyroidism.
A TSH test is administered by drawing a small blood sample
and sending it to a laboratory for analysis. The laboratory will read the level
of TSH, and based on a reported normal value range, it will determine whether
the level is below normal (hyperthyroid), above normal (hypothyroid) or within
the normal range (euthyroid).
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