The Laboratory Services Committee of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) conducted a survey of ATA members to identify areas of member interest for education in pathology and laboratory medicine. In response to the results of the survey, the Lab Service Committee developed a series of educational materials to share with the ATA membership. The topics below were ranked as high educational priorities amongst the membership.  READ ARTICLE….

The post Laboratory Services for Managing Thyroid Disease: Different and Common Viewpoints of American Thyroid Association Members and of Members of the Endocrine Division of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry appeared first on American Thyroid Association.

PREFACE This document aims to provide a state-of-the-art status report on the progress achieved in thyroid testing, including thyrotropin (TSH), thyroxine (T4), and triiodothyronine (T3). The target audience for this document includes general practitioners, endocrinologists, and laboratory professionals. It is not a systematic review or a guidance document addressing currently encountered diagnostic and clinical challenges related to these three key parameters of thyroid testing (Box 1). It does not cover the use of thyroid antibodies for investigating the etiology of thyroid dysfunction, or the use of thyroglobulin as a tumor marker for differentiated thyroid cancer or the investigation of primary congenital or acquired hypothyroidism. Clinically relevant aspects of thyroid pathophysiology and the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroidperipheral axis have recently been reviewed elsewhere.1,2 Generic abbreviations for thyroid hormones (THs), T4 and T3, are used in this text, if both total and free TH are meant. Total T4 (TT4) and total T3 (TT3) are used for total and free T4 (fT4) or free T3 (fT3) for free TH concentrations, respectively.  READ ARTICLE…

The post Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and Thyroid Hormones (Triiodothyronine and Thyroxine): An American Thyroid Association-Commissioned Review of Current Clinical and Laboratory Status appeared first on American Thyroid Association.

Introduction Thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (fT4) are the two hormones initially measured in blood to assess hypoand hyperthyroidism and to guide treatment decisions.1–3 Some guidelines and recommendations suggest specific concentrations for these hormones to guide decision making.4 Therefore, accurate and reliable TSH and fT4 tests are needed to ensure correct patient care, making the standardization of thyroid function tests to assess both thyroid gland function and therapeutic drug monitoring a priority.5,6 Poor accuracy and comparability of TSH and fT4 tests have been described,7 and reference systems enabling consistent assay calibration and improving other analytical factors affecting inaccurate results have been established by the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Committee on Standardization of Thyroid Function Tests in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Clinical Standardization Programs (CSP).7–9 Studies assessing the analytical performance of TSH and fT4 assays after these reference systems became available are very limited. As part of the CDC’s CSP for thyroid hormones, a study was conducted to obtain information about the current analytical performance of TSH and fT4 assays to assess potential improvements and to guide further standardization activities. READ ARTICLE…..

The post Evaluation of the Current State of Thyroid Hormone Testing in Human Serum—Results of the Free Thyroxine and Thyrotropin Interlaboratory Comparison appeared first on American Thyroid Association.