HIGH THYROTROPIN: CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS - MEDICINE - 2025

A high thyrotropin in the bloodstream typically indicates that the thyroid is underperforming. High levels of thyrotropin are a common sign of hypothyroidism that will require medical treatment to avoid potential health risks.

Thyrotropin (TSH) or thyroid stimulating hormone is a hormone produced in the anterior pituitary gland. It is used to help stimulate the thyroid to produce triiodothyronine (T3) or thyroxine (T4), hormones that help stimulate metabolism.

If the pituitary gland is producing TSH to try to stimulate the thyroid, but the thyroid does not respond, this can create a high amount of thyrotropin in the bloodstream.

A high thyrotropin can be caused by stress, illness, blockage, or surgery that makes the thyroid malfunction or slow.

Causes of high TSH

Once excessive levels of TSH are determined in the system, the doctor will begin to assess what is causing the problem. Causes include hypothyroidism, pituitary tumors, and thyroid disorder.

Hypothyroidism

Patients suffering from this condition experience dry skin, thinning, increased sensitivity to cold, muscle aches, swollen face, impaired memory, unexplained weight gain, fatigue, high cholesterol, hoarseness, constipation, depression, irregular menstrual periods, among others.

A number of circumstances such as surgery, taking psychiatric medications, radiation therapy, or an autoimmune disease can lead to this condition.

Hypothyroidism is usually treated with medications that will artificially replace these hormones.

Thyroid disorder

Thyroid disorders include an enlarged thyroid gland, abnormal hormone production, or cancer. These can cause the thyroid to malfunction.

Some of these conditions are harmless, but most require medical intervention to avoid unpleasant side effects, such as having a slow metabolism, which causes damage throughout the body.

Pituitary tumors

There are rare cases, in which excessive levels of TSH are a sign that the pituitary gland is not working properly.

Sometimes this is because a group of cells has started to grow in the upper part of the gland. Most of these tumors are not cancerous, although they can cause interference with bodily functions, which can lead to other dangerous negative side effects for the body.

Symptoms

Overactive thyroid

Overproduction of TSH can lead to an overactive thyroid.

Mental changes

People can often experience mental changes, such as feeling depressed, having difficulty processing information, and memory loss. In addition, it can cause slower speech, and in some cases even dementia.

Cardiopulmonary symptoms

In some cases, high levels can cause cholesterol levels to rise. An enlarged heart and heart failure can occur, because fluid can collect around the heart and lungs and the heart rate can become slower than normal.

Systemic symptoms

A cold sensitivity may be experienced due to a low body temperature, as well as sluggishness and fatigue. If myxedema coma develops, it can lead to seizures and coma.

Musculoskeletal symptoms

A high thyrotropin can cause stiffness and swelling, joint and muscle pain. It can also cause loss of deep tendon reflexes, as well as numbness and tingling in the extremities.

Gynecological symptoms

High levels of TSH can lead to heavier periods in women or even no periods at all, so in addition, due to lack of ovulation, infertility can occur. Sexual desire often decreases.

TSH test

The TSH test is a laboratory test that analyzes the blood to determine the body's total TSH levels.

If the patient begins to show signs of a thyroid malfunction, the doctor will surely order a test to check the levels of thyrotropin in the system. If these show a high level of TSH, the thyroid function may be slow.

During a TSH test, a blood sample will be taken to check hormone levels. A needle is inserted into the arm, and the blood sample is collected to be placed in an identified tube.

In some cases, an elastic band may be placed around the arm to facilitate the collection of blood. The patient should not feel a lot of pain from the elastic band or the needle, although a bruise may develop at the injection site.

TSH test results are normally available 2 to 3 days after the blood draw is done.

If your hormone results are not within a healthy range, your doctor will look for the cause and treatment for this condition.

Normal range of thyrotropin

There is a range of TSH levels. Learning what they mean and identifying the symptoms can provide more information to the doctor to properly treat the condition.

Normal TSH

In adults, TSH hormone levels range from 0.4 to 4.2 mU / L. This indicates that the signals from the pituitary gland coincide with the activity of the thyroid gland.

The doctor will use the hormone level along with other signs and side effects that may be showing to determine if there is an underlying health problem at hand.

High TSH

Although the normal range of TSH is between 0.4 to 4.2 mU / L, certain conditions such as hypothyroidism can be suspected from values ​​greater than 2 mIU / mL (with normal T4 values).

High TSH levels are typically caused by hypothyroidism. If the patient is already being treated for a thyroid disorder, this may be a sign that he needs to increase his medication. In rare cases, you may be showing high TSH levels because you have developed a tumor in your pituitary gland that overproduces TSH.

Low TSH

Low TSH levels can be a sign that you are dealing with an overactive thyroid gland with conditions such as goiter, Graves disease, or non-cancerous tumors.

The thyroid can also become overactive during the first trimester of pregnancy. If the patient is already being treated for thyroid problems, he may develop low TSH levels if he is taking too much thyroid medication.

If you're not showing signs of an overactive thyroid, you may have damaged the pituitary gland, causing it to make less TSH.

References

1. MD Health Doctors (2015-2017). What Does a High TSH Mean ?. MD-Health. Recovered from: md-health.com.
2. Sharon Perkins (2011). High TSH Symptoms. Livestrong. Recovered from: livestrong.com.
3. Web Med Staff (2005). Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH). Web MD. Recovered from: webmd.com.
4. Mayo Clinic Staff (2015). High TSH. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Recovered from: mayoclinic.org.