Thyroid-stimulating hormone( TTG) is one of the hormones that is produced in the pituitary gland and affects the secretion of thyroid hormones of triiodothyronine and thyroxine.
Thyroxine( T4) - the "thyroid" hormone responsible for the plastic and energy metabolic processes in the body, is a building material for the formation of triiodothyronine. Free T4 or free tetraiodothyronine( T4c) is a small part of the thyroxine molecules( 0.03% of the total volume), which, after development, was not bound by a special transport protein.
Triiodothyronine( T3) is the most active thyroid hormone that controls metabolic processes in the body. T3 is responsible for the development of the brain in the fetus, and in the adult person - it speeds up nervous activity. T3 is formed from T4 and is 10 times more powerful than T4.Getting into the blood, most of the molecules bind to proteins, namely the remaining unbound molecules( 0.3% of the total mass) bear the main responsibility for regulation and are called triiodothyronine free hormone( T3c).
The main effect on the body is provided by free hormones - T4 free and T3 free. Their indicators together with the level of "pituitary" thyrotropin are important to the endocrinologist for establishing the type of pathology and treatment of the thyroid gland.
Normal indices
The level of the hormonal background is considered normal if the laboratory tests yielded the following results:
Deviations from the norm
If the thyrotropin level is abnormal in the results two months later, a reanalysis is necessary, since the TTG responds with a delay to the changes in T3c and T4c. Overestimated TSH values are more common than lowered, although low TSH occurs with both strengthened and weakened pituitary gland, and in pregnant women it may be a variant of the norm.
Vibrations of indicators may be a consequence of:
- use of morphine-containing drugs;
- by estrogen, cerucal, amiodarone, euglon, interferon;
- overdose of L-thyroxine and other drugs with synthetic analogues of T3 and T4;
- is an incorrect blood sampling time for analysis.
Syndrome of euthyroid pathology
In a number of diseases not directly related to the thyroid gland, TTG can be greatly reduced or increased( by 2 or more times), but T3s and T4c remain normal .Such indicators can appear if the body is overloaded:
- stress;
- with severe injuries;
- myocardial infarction;
- ischemia;
- sepsis;
- with liver disease;
- chronic kidney in terminal stages.
Increased level of
Because thyroid diseases are more common in women than in men, the high thyrotropin is more often recorded in the fair sex.
Is the TSH value high, with a correct reanalysis? Hence, there are the following pathologies or conditions:
In addition, excess TSH is possible with thyroid after childbirth, as well as with the pathological increase of another hormone of the pituitary gland, prolactin. Normally, increased prolactin is characteristic only for pregnancy( from 5-6 weeks) and until the end of breastfeeding.
Hypothyroidism against a background of increased TSH is divided into 2 groups:
- subclinical group - free T4c and T3c within the norm;
- is a manifest( explicit) group - free T4c and T3c levels are lowered.
The first group does not have obvious signs, and the second one can be recognized by the following symptoms:
Lowered level of
Lowered TSH values are symptoms of primary and secondary thyrotoxicosis, which could be caused by the following reasons:
Each of the abovementioned disease has its own symptoms and signs.
Pituitary and hypothalamic diseases that cause secondary thyrotoxicosis occur with equal frequency in both men and women.
TTG and pregnancy
Girls who plan delivery, TTG before conception and during the whole pregnancy should ideally not exceed 2.5 μIU / l. It is these indicators that guarantee the least development of pathologies in the fetus.
During pregnancy, the norm may fluctuate and beyond 0.4-4 mIU / L. The indicator is lower than 0.4, it occurs in healthy women and, as a rule, normalizes to the second trimester of pregnancy. Low TSH is dangerous only with a very long uncompensated clinic with low values of free T4 and T3.
If the indicator fluctuates around 4, then it is worth immediately contacting the endocrinologist for the appointment of substitution treatment, rather than thinking about the need for an abortion. High TSH harms the fetus only in the first trimester. Further, it poses a danger for the development of the course of pregnancy and the birth itself.
Prolactin and TTG
Prolactin is a hormone that is produced by the pituitary gland under the influence of TSH and some hormones of the hypothalamus. In adults, prolactin is responsible for normal fat metabolism and prevents the development of diabetes. During intrauterine development, it stimulates the formation of sebaceous glands and the development of internal organs.
In women, he is responsible for the secretion of progesterone in the yellow body of the ovary follicle( fertilization and normal pregnancy), the development of the mammary glands and the production of breast milk during pregnancy and after childbirth. For men, prolactin is no less important, since it is responsible for the production of testosterone, the development and motility of spermatozoa.
The state of the body, when the level of prolactin and TSH is increased, may be caused by the causes of severe diseases of the hypothalamic-pituitary system or signs of the following diseases. :
The symptoms of hyperprolactinemia( when prolactin and TSH is elevated) include:
Tactics of treatment, hormonal medications and their dosesappointed endocrinologist after establishing the root cause of increased values of prolactin and TSH.
Recovery of TSH level
In subclinical hypothyroidism, it is possible to try to reduce TSH by gluten-free, bezasein and low-carbohydrate diets. In all other cases, treatment with any folk remedies and diets will not help. Just need to take for life "L-thyroxine" or other synthetic analogues of thyroxine.
Acceptable doses of hormonal drugs will fluctuate and be adjusted depending on the results of the analyzes.
