If you suspect that you have thyroid disease, make an appointment with your doctor right away to get a diagnosis and treatment if needed.  Thyroid disease can be diagnosed using a variety of methods. Make sure that you tell your doctor about all of the symptoms that you are experiencing. Several blood tests can be used to diagnose thyroid disease. Your doctor will most likely order blood tests first because they are easy to perform and they can determine whether or not your symptoms are due to a thyroid issue. These tests include:   Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). This test is always the first step in diagnosing a thyroid problem. The TSH blood test is the most accurate test for the diagnosis of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.  Low TSH correlates with hyperthyroidism, while high TSH correlates with hypothyroidism.  If the results of the TSH test are abnormal, then your doctor may order additional tests to pinpoint the cause of the problem.  Thyroxine (T4).  A blood test that reveals low levels of T4 correlates with hypothyroidism, while a test that reveals high levels correlates with hyperthyroidism.  Triiodothyronine (T3).  A T3 blood test can also be useful for confirming hyperthyroidism. If T3 levels are elevated, it indicates that you have hyperthyroidism.  A T3 blood test cannot be used for the diagnosis of hypothyroidism.  Thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI).  A TSI blood test can help to confirm Graves’ disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. Antithyroid antibody.  The anti-thyroid antibody test can help to confirm Hashimoto’s disease, the most common cause of hypothyroidism. A variety of imaging tests may also be used to diagnose and pinpoint the cause of thyroid disease. Your doctor may order one or more of these if the results of a blood test come back as abnormal. Imaging tests may include:   Ultrasound.  Ultrasound utilizes sound waves that bounce off organs to create images of their structure.  The images can help practitioners look at the tissue within the thyroid gland.  It can also reveal nodules, cysts, or calcifications within the gland.  However, ultrasound cannot distinguish between a benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) growth.   Computed tomography (CT) scan.  A CT scan with or without contrast may be used to look at the tissues of a large goiter.  They may also reveal thyroid nodules in individuals having the scans for unrelated reasons.   Thyroid scan with radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU).  A thyroid scan is a type of nuclear imaging study that utilizes radioactive iodine to evaluate the structure and function of the thyroid gland.  These tests may be used to assess the nature of a thyroid nodule or help diagnose hyperthyroidism. Since it is difficult or even impossible to tell if a growth is cancerous using imaging along, your doctor may order a FNA biopsy to determine whether a thyroid nodule is benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).  During this procedure, a small, thin needle attached to a syringe will be inserted into the thyroid nodule using ultrasound guidance. Samples of the cells in the nodule will be pulled into the syringe and then sent for analysis. The cells will be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist, a specialist in the study of diseases, who will determine if the cells are benign or malignant.
حدد موعدًا مع طبيبك. اطلب عمل تحليل دم. اسأل عن فحوصات الأشعة. فكر في أخذ خزعة بالإبرة (FNA) إذا دعت الحاجة.