Hashimoto's disease autoimmune thyroid disease
This involves testing anti-TPO and Anti-TG (Thyreoid. microsomal al. (TPO) and Thyreoglobulin al.)
Normally, the immune system makes antibodies to render unwanted invaders or pathogens harmless. Sometimes something goes wrong, causing antibodies to be made against healthy cells, tissue or organs in the body. It leads to an autoimmune disease in which unintentional damage and inflammation occurs to body tissues and organs, such as the thyroid in this case.
To detect an autoimmune thyroid disease an abnormality of the thyroid gland caused by the immune system malfunctioning.
Table: Hormone and autoantibody characteristics in diagnosis of thyroid autoimmunity *.
| Graves' disease | Hashimoto's disease | ||
| TSH | reduced | TSH | increased |
| T4,T3, | increased | T4, T3, | reduced |
| TSH receptor antibodies (mostly stimulating) | 80-100% | TSH receptor antibodies (mostly blocking) | 6% |
| TPO autoantibodies | 45-80% | TPO autoantibodies (hightiter) | 95% |
| Tg autoantibodies | 12-30% | Tg autoantibodies (high titer) | 50-60% |
% within the patient population
If your doctor has not yet tested your thyroid levels, it is advisable to supplement this examination with the tests below for a complete picture. This will help you see if your antibodies have already upset your thyroid.
