Diagnosis of a thyroid disorder depends on thorough testing. As a patient, knowing which tests are available and how to interpret results will help you when discussing with your doctor.
Be Thyroid Aware and Get Tested – Over 1 million Australian have an undiagnosed thyroid disorder!
What You Need To Know
Knowing how to interpret Thyroid Pathology Tests and if necessary a Thyroid Ultrasound will determine or eliminate a thyroid disorder.
Thyroid Function Tests include – TSH, T4 and T3. Thyroid Antibodies determine if a patient has a Thyroid Auto-Immune Disease, either Hashimoto’s or Graves’ Disease. A Thyroid Ultrasound shows the physical health of the thyroid gland – the size, shape and texture of the gland if nodules are present.
Reducing the time in reaching a correct diagnosis will help improve your quality of life or eliminate the possibility of a thyroid disorder.
Thyroid Disorders affect patients in many ways and are individual. Usually caused by a thyroid auto-immune disease – Hashimoto’s Disease or Graves’ Disease.
Treatments and test results for thyroid disorders are individual, the best results and outcome for you depends on what’s right for you.
Thyroid Disorders affect women more than men and Australians of all life stages need to be aware.
It is essential for women of child bearing years to have their thyroid function and the possibility of a thyroid auto-immune disease determined before conception.
Thyroid disorders and thyroid function during pregnancy can affect the foetal brain development and pregnancy outcomes.
Maintaining a good relationship with your doctor to ensure your treatment management is a joint partnership is important for long term treatment.
For more information check out the Australian Thyroid Foundation’s website here.