McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine

Reliability of TSH measurements

2018-06-19

René Rodríguez-Gutiérrez

Is the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level a stable parameter? Do laboratory errors occur? Is every measurement reliable?

René Rodríguez-Gutiérrez: I will say that definitely TSH [levels] can vary. The recommendation for this is once you have a first set of tests that are compatible with subclinical hypothyroidism, the recommendation is always to repeat, usually within a month or 3 months. In case of pregnancy or infertility, it can be done earlier, but definitely one set of TSH values is not enough.

See also

Discontinuation of CT in nonfunctioning incidentaloma Would you recommend discontinuation of regular computed tomography scans in a patient with a nonfunctioning incidentaloma and no tumor growth over 3- or 5-year follow-up?
Targeted HbA_1c in type 2 diabetes What should be the target hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c) values in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and age Do thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels change with age? Should we use different criteria to diagnose and treat hypothyroidism in the elderly?
Antibiotics and treatment duration in diabetic foot osteomyelitis What antibiotics and therapy duration are recommended in patients with diabetic foot osteomyelitis?
Emerging approaches to the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus A lecture by Prof. Hertzel Gerstein, from McMaster University, Canada, delivered at McMaster International Review Course in Internal Medicine in Kraków in May 2016.
Hashimoto thyroiditis and other autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland A lecture by Prof. Luigi Bartalena, from University of Insubria, Italy, delivered at McMaster International Review Course in Internal Medicine in Kraków in May 2016.

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