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Does TSH Measure Thyroid Status?
February, 2003 -- In a fairly confusing editorial in the February issue of the British Medical Journal, controversial endocrinologist Anthony Toft says that measurement of serum TSH alone may not always reflect thyroid status.
According to Toft:
"...some patients seeking an explanation for feeling 'below par' are disappointed when thyroid function tests are normal. Unable to accept that there may be psychosocial reasons for their symptoms, a vociferous minority believe that hypothyroidism may exist with normal serum concentrations of both thyroxine (T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Their hypothesis is that a doctor cannot know whether a concentration of free T4 or TSH within wide reference ranges is normal for that individual."
But then Toft goes on to apparently contradict himself, and move -- thankfully -- toward a more patient-oriented perspective.
Find out more about this interesting editorial
