Thyroid Panel-4
Sample Type
Recommended for
Report
Thyroid gland is an endocrine gland that produces thyroid hormones which carry out various energy related functions in the body. Normal production of these hormones is of utmost importance for the smooth functioning of the body. TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone signals the thyroid gland to produce the thyroid hormones. T3 and T4 are the thyroid hormones produced by these glands. Thyroid panel-4 is a thyroid screening test that measures the functioning of the thyroid gland using the FT4 levels TSH-3rd Gen levels.
Thyroid Panel 4 is a blood test. The profile measures the levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) or Thyrotropin and Free Thyroxine or FT4 in the blood. These two hormones are important to assess the health of the thyroid gland.
What is the Thyroid Panel 4 Test?
The thyroid gland is butterfly-shaped. It is situated in the front of the neck. It is stimulated by the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. These hormones are released by the pituitary gland. They are released to secrete thyroid hormones. The thyroid hormones are Tri-iodo thyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4).
When the levels of T3 and/or T4 are high in the circulating blood, the pituitary releases less amount of TSH in the blood. Similarly, when the levels of T3 and/or T4 are low in the circulating blood, the pituitary releases more amount of TSH in the blood.
The thyroid panel 4 assists in evaluating the health of your thyroid. Depending on your hormone levels as measured by the thyroid panel 4 test, your doctor may suggest a treatment plan.
Price : ₹ 505
The profile is mainly used to test the thyroid gland functioning. The most common scenarios where testing is carried out include:
- Cases of suspected hypothyroidism which may present as fatigue, increased sensitivity to cold, constipation, dry skin, weight gain, muscle weakness, puffy face.
- Cases of suspected hyperthyroidism which may present as unintentional weight loss, rapid heart rate, arrhythmia, palpitation, increase appetite, nervousness, irritability.
- For monitoring the status in thyroid patients to understand the treatment effectiveness.
A thyroid test is done for both men and women. This is done to evaluate the health of the thyroid gland. This is because nowadays lifestyle is sedentary. So thyroid function is impaired. You may be asked to undergo a thyroid panel 4 test to:
· Evaluate thyroid health – If you have been showing symptoms like weight loss or gain, muscle tiredness, fatigue, constipation, irregular menstruation, sub-fertility, enlarged thyroid gland, increased or decreased response to varying temperature, nervousness, palpitation, hypertension, etc. it could mean that you may have hypo or hyperthyroidism.
· Follow-up with thyroid hormone replacement – If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have been prescribed medication, you may be asked to get your thyroid hormone levels tested to see if they are working for you.
· Follow-up with anti-thyroid treatment – If you have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, this test helps your doctor to see if the overactive thyroid gland responded to the treatment.
· Evaluate the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis – if you have been experiencing the above symptoms and have unexplained subfertility, assessing the HPT axis helps your doctor with suggesting the ideal treatment plan.
· Manage thyroid carcinoma
4 panel thyroid test measures Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH-3rd Gen) and T4 levels in the blood. TSH results are the starting point of the diagnostic algorithm, the results show diurnal variation (test should be done at the same time of the day during follow-ups). The TSH levels impact the T4 levels as well.
4 panel thyroid test requires a blood sample. A tourniquet (elastic) band is placed tightly on the upper arm. The patient is then asked to make a fist. This helps in the build-up of blood filling the veins. The skin is disinfected before needle insertion and the blood sample is collected in vacutainer.
Results of TSH in combination of T4 are often used to diagnose primary and secondary causes of hypo & hyperthyroidism. TSH-3rd Gen levels are used for diagnosis.
TSH high: T4 low (primary hypothyroidism), T4 high (secondary hyperthyroidism)
TSH low: T4 low (secondary hypothyroidism), T4 high (primary hyperthyroidism)
TSH levels often vary with age, sex, pregnancy and some other conditions.
Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland secretes lesser than required amounts of tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4).
