What blood level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) warrants treatment?
Dr Smita Gupta
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine,
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism,
Southern Illinois University, USA
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine,
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism,
Southern Illinois University, USA
Q: My 75 years old mother is presently under treatment for tuberculosis and high blood pressure. Her thyroid profile shows T3 - 0.75 ng/ml, T4 - 5.02 ug/dl and TSH - 6.08 uIU/ml. She is on low sodium diet for the last one month. Is her TSH high enough to be treated?
A:She has subclinical hypothyroidism and does not necessarily warrant treatment. I would recommend repeating her thyroid tests again in 3-6 months along with thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies and if they are positive or if TSH is above 10 IU/ml, then she can be treated with small dose of thyroid hormone.