Help with a blood test result

[mendo]

OK, I've been getting blood work done regularly for a long time. I generally only pay attention to things that are out of the "normal" range for some reason and the usual stuff like hormone levels, cholesterol, liver, etc.
My latest results show my T-3 uptake as being high (its 42% with normal being 24-39). Are there any bros on here who can explain T-3 uptake and what having a high value means? Here's my other thyroid values if that helps: TSH 1.5 uIU/ml; T4 7.0 ug/dl; free thyroxine index 3.0.

 

[todoveritas]

I wouldn't worry about it. It is an old test (now pretty much obsolete bc it is inaccurate) designed to indirectly measure T4. It is not even a thyroid test-it actually measures the proteins that carry thyroid around in your blood. The proper use of the test is to compute the free thyroxine index.


The following tests are better: T4 - Body’s ability to make T3; and T3- Body’s initiator of cellular energy product (accelerator pedal). If these and your Free T are fine, then your thyroid is fine, period.

 

[mendo]

I wouldn't worry about it. It is an old test (now pretty much obsolete bc it is inaccurate) designed to indirectly measure T4. It is not even a thyroid test-it actually measures the proteins that carry thyroid around in your blood. The proper use of the test is to compute the free thyroxine index.


The following tests are better: T4 - Body’s ability to make T3; and T3- Body’s initiator of cellular energy product (accelerator pedal). If these and your Free T are fine, then your thyroid is fine, period.

Thats great to know, thanks bro!

 

[needtogetaas]

OK, I've been getting blood work done regularly for a long time. I generally only pay attention to things that are out of the "normal" range for some reason and the usual stuff like hormone levels, cholesterol, liver, etc.
My latest results show my T-3 uptake as being high (its 42% with normal being 24-39). Are there any bros on here who can explain T-3 uptake and what having a high value means? Here's my other thyroid values if that helps: TSH 1.5 uIU/ml; T4 7.0 ug/dl; free thyroxine index 3.0.

Increased levels are found in hyperthyroidism, severe liver disease, metastatic malignancy, and pulmonary insufficiency!!!!

 

[mendo]

Increased levels are found in hyperthyroidism, severe liver disease, metastatic malignancy, and pulmonary insufficiency!!!!

 

[Tatyana]

I wouldn't worry about it. It is an old test (now pretty much obsolete bc it is inaccurate) designed to indirectly measure T4. It is not even a thyroid test-it actually measures the proteins that carry thyroid around in your blood. The proper use of the test is to compute the free thyroxine index.


The following tests are better: T4 - Body’s ability to make T3; and T3- Body’s initiator of cellular energy product (accelerator pedal). If these and your Free T are fine, then your thyroid is fine, period.

I have never heard of t4 uptake before, but I have noticed that some of the tests that doctors request in the US are quite outdated, and they use really old terms for some of the tests as well.

Doctors have a hard enough time keeping up with new clinical evidence and meds, they often let pathology lag behind, leave it to the lab to tell them what to test for, if something is seriously abnormal, if further investigations are required.

I see doctors ordering dumb tests all the time, in fact I tell them I am not going to do some of them when I am on-call as it is unnecessary in the treatment or any further diagnosis of the patient.



If your TSH and T4 are normal, I wouldn't worry.

Even if this test was accurate, it is so slightly elevated, most of the reference ranges do not include 5% of the population, and that is if the lab actually did the work to establish local reference ranges.

So CHILL.

You are not hyperthyroid with those levels.

 

[Jon79]

Increased levels are found in hyperthyroidism, severe liver disease, metastatic malignancy, and pulmonary insufficiency!!!!

what really?