What TSH Level Indicates Hypothyroidism? | PYHP 078

Lisa’s Question:  I have a free T4 of 1.5, a TSH at 3.09 and I have a free T3 of 2.7. Do these seem like they are within parameters? My ENT says everything is fine with my numbers, and my vitamin D is 26.5. Short Answer:  This is a good example of a high normal TSH level (3.09), which does raise some concerns. Any time we see a TSH above 2.0 to 2.5, it gets our attention. A high normal TSH level, along with clinical symptoms helpt to determine the best course of action for the patient. We like to see a low normal TSH level and a high normal Free T3 level, preferably greater than 3.2. PYHP 078 Full Transcript:  Download PYHP 078 Transcript Dr. Maki: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the Progress Your Health Podcast. I’m Dr. Maki. Dr. Davidson: And I’m Dr. Davidson. Dr. Maki: So how are you doing this morning? Dr. Davidson: I’m doing great. How are you doing? Dr. Maki: Pretty good. Pretty good. 2020 is moving along. Dr. Davidson: It sure is. Dr. Maki: A little bit of a hiccup earlier in the year, but we survived. We’re all making it through. We’re going to continue answering some more questions. This one also is pertaining to thyroid, and this is from Lisa. So, Dr. Davidson, why don’t you to go ahead and read it from Lisa? Dr. Davidson: Sure. So, Lisa is a podcast listener, hence we’re doing the podcast, but she has a question based on episode 38 which seems like light years away. Dr. Maki: Yeah, it seems like it was so long ago. Dr. Davidson: That we did that episode 38. Episode 38 was, Do you have a low free T3 level? So, Lisa’s question is, I have a free T4 of 1.5, a TSH at 3.09 and I have a free T3 of 2.7. Do these seem like they are within parameters? My ENT says everything is fine with my numbers, and my vitamin D is 26.5. Dr. Maki: Yeah. Right. So, this is in some ways in contrast to Dinette that we talked about. In some ways, almost exactly, the opposite. So here her TSH is already on the high end of normal. 3.0, that’s a little bit of a red flag for us, right? When we talked about Dinette, her number was point– I don’t remember exactly what it was. It was 0.82 or something. So, way on the low end of normal. Now here, her number is on the complete high end of normal. Right away, that automatically puts up some red flags. Dr. Davidson: Why don’t you reiterate what TSH does and what does it mean when it’s high and when it’s low? Dr. Maki: Oh, well, why don’t you do that?