When decoding your thyroid health, thyroid antibodies can present a complex puzzle. Anyone that suspects they have a thyroid problem should initially test for thyroid antibodies along with TSH, free T3, and free T4.
What Are Thyroid Antibodies, Anyway?
Thyroid antibodies are immune cells that can disrupt thyroid function or even damage thyroid tissue. Specifically:
- Anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb): Attacks the enzyme that converts iodide into iodine so that iodine can attach to thyroglobulin..
- Anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb): Targets the thyroglobulin protein that binds iodine to create thyroid hormone.
- Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI): affects how your gland responds to being told to work.
It is important to note that the first two thyroid antibodies involve iodine. This highlights the role deficient or excess iodine has in thyroid autoimmune. Please se the blog Thyroid Myths Busted.
Thyroid antibodies: Not perfectly predictive
- The presence of thyroid antibodies confirms that you have Hashimoto’s disease.
- However, lacking thyroid antibodies does not rule out Hashimoto’s entirely.
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can be seen on Ultrasound and Thermal Imaging.
- You can have thyroid antibodies (Hashimoto’s) and still have a normal thyroid function.
- When people with positive antibodies have stable thyroid levels, it is either because they are on thyroid medication or because their thyroid is still working fine.
- Up to 27% of people with normal thyroid hormone levels have positive thyroid antibodies, and for many, these antibodies go on to create low thyroid function due to autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashiomto’s).
- Even with normal thyroid hormone levels, the presence of high antibodies can create problems like fatigue, hair loss, infertility, or heart disease.
Tricky Antibody Levels
- Thyroid disease becomes more likely for those with high antibodies than for those with negative ones or with lower levels.
- How likely? The disease risk per year was 1.7% for those with the lowest positive antibodies and 3.4% for those with the worst.
- Another perspective: 96.6% of people with high thyroid antibodies did not develop thyroid disease in any given year.
- Antibody levels fluctuate significantly, even multiple times a day.
- A higher number of antibodies does not mean that you are doing something wrong. At the same time, a lower number does not mean that you are doing something right – it might just be completely random.
- When thyroid antibodies are exceedingly high, above the 2000 range, they can be predictors of risk for other autoimmune conditions.
- Consistently monitor over time to understanding trends., especially with consistently high levels over 500 – 1,000 IU/mL.
- Thyroglobulin(TG) over 500 IU/mL should be monitored (twice a year) due to its role as a marker for inflammation and potential thyroid cancer.
Testing Matters: Do It Right
- If you notice that your readings are consistently high, you may want to track them at least twice a year. If everything else is stabilized, your antibody levels are not likely playing a large role in your health condition.
- For accurate thyroid tests, follow these guidelines:
- Test before taking medication and eating.
- Test between 6-9 AM.
- Wait 3 days after taking supplements which affect thyroid hormone levels like probiotics and biotin.
- For cycling women, avoid testing during days 10 – 20 of the menstrual cycle.
- When testing you should consider:
- Anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb) – for Hashimoto’s and thyroid inflammation
- Anti-thyroperoxidase (TPOAb) – for Hashimoto’s
- Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) – for Grave’s disease
- There is overlap in these because some with Hashimoto’s disease have Graves’ disease as well – and vice versa.
Positive Antibodies on your test?
Thyroid antibodies are a piece of the thyroid puzzle, and if you need help in sorting it out, please contact Dr. Cheryl at 928-649-9234. We can have a complimentary chat to see if what I do is the help you are looking for.
You might want to see the blogs on lowering thyroid antibodies.
