The stats show that thyroid dysfunction is highly prevalent in the United States. Thyroid dysfunction continues to increase every year. Thyroid medications continue to show up in the top 10 most prescribed drugs every year. Unfortunately thyroid dysfunction is also under diagnosed.

In the early stages of dysfunction, patients complain of thyroid related symptoms, but are often just checked for TSH levels alone. TSH is am important marker of thyroid function, but as a stand alone diagnostic indicator of function is almost useless. TSH levels can fall within normal limits and a person may still have up-regulation (hyper) or down-regulation (hypo) of the thyroid gland.

At a minimum, TSH, Total T4, Total T3, Free T3, and T3 Uptake levels should be checked to make an accurate diagnosis regarding thyroid function. These tests not only give us a an idea of how the thyroid hormones are functioning, but they also shed light upon which the underlying cause of any dysfunction that may show up.

At our office we also test for thyroid antibodies (TPO and TGA) as part of a routine thyroid check up, because positive results indicate the autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease accounts for 90% of all hypothyroid dysfunction in the United States! Without management of the underlying autoimmune disorder, a person's thyroid gland continues to be destroyed over time no matter what kind of replacement therapy they happen to be on.

Hypothyroidism: 1.75 million

Hyperthyroidism: 275,000

Goiter: 22 million

Thyroid Cancer: 15,000

Deaths Due to Thyroid Cancer: 2,000

*stats are from 2001.

Betterele C and Zanchetta R. Update on autoimmune polyenodcrine (APS). Acta Bio Medica. 2003; 74:9-43

Baillieres. Autoimmunity and hypothyroidism. Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998; Aug 2 [3]:591-617

Strieder T. Risk factors for the prevalence of thyroid disorders in a cross-sectional study among healthy female relatives of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. Clin Endocrin [Oxf]. 2003; 50[3]:396-401