How is Hashimotos thyroiditis diagnosed?
In diagnosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a physician should assess symptoms and complaints commonly seen in hypothyroidism, examine the neck, and take a detailed history of family members. Blood tests are extremely useful in diagnosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The blood tests look at the thyroid function in general. (With hypothyroidism, a high thyroid stimulating hormone and low thyroid hormone would be expected.) When hypothyroidism is present, the blood levels of thyroid hormones can be measured directly and are usually decreased. However, in early hypothyroidism, the level of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) may be normal. Therefore, the main tool for the detection of hyperthyroidism is the measurement of the TSH, the thyroid stimulating hormone. As mentioned earlier, TSH is secreted by the pituitary gland. If a decrease of thyroid hormone occurs, the pituitary gland reacts by producing more TSH and the blood TSH level increases in an attempt to encourage thyroid hormone production. This
