icon-nav-help
Need Help

Submit your question to our team of health care professionals.

icon-nav-current-questions
Current Question

See what's on the mind of the community right now.

icon-conf-speakers-at-a-glance
Meet the Team

Learn more about our world-renowned team.

icon-nav-archives
CWD Answers Archives

Review the entire archive according to the date it was posted.

CWD_Answers_Icon
March 6, 2012

Thyroid

advertisement
Question from Houston, Missouri, USA:

I am a 25-year-old mother of two. My oldest child has type 1 diabetes. It was recently discovered that I have a fullness to my thyroid gland. My family doctor checked my TSH and, I am pretty sure, other thyroid hormone levels, as well as antibody levels. My TSH was 3.5 and my antibody tests were negative, though I do not know what level they were or if they were at all detectable. I also do not know what the T3 or T4 levels were or which were checked. I also had a thyroid ultrasound that was negative for nodules or anything concerning. With the TSH being on the higher-normal side, but not technically high (though my doctor did comment that she felt my TSH was a bit high for my age), and a small goiter, assuming that the T3/T4 levels are in range, and a family history (child) of autoimmune diabetes, is this something that you would treat or something that should be watched but left alone. If this were something that you would treat, how would you treat it? If it should be watched/left alone, what frequency should laboratory tests re-checked? Which should be performed, and over what length of time?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

It sounds as though you are asymptomatic with this condition Although fullness is described, it is not overt goiter. Most times, given this scenario, I would watch and monitor. It does not sound like there is additional clinical data to do anything differently. I think thyroid hormone supplementation would be too much at this point.

JTL