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Qualities Needed in Hypothyroid Treating Doctors

What to Look for in Thyroid Specialists

Aug 13, 2009 Jim Lowrance

The symptoms of hypothyroidism can be concerning and severe to a thyroid patient. This, points to the great importance in a qualified hypothyroid treatment specialist.

People needing treatment for hypothyroidism should seek doctors who are qualified in optimizing thyroid hormone therapy the best possible for each of their patients but who also monitor their patients for potential co-morbid conditions and treatment complications.

Palpation for Goiter and Thyroid Nodules

The vast majority of hypothyroid patients have the condition due to diseased thyroid glands. Thyroid specializing doctors should check their new patients for goiter (thyroid gland swelling) and for thyroid nodules (tumorous growths) by palpation. This means the doctor uses his or her fingertips to feel for growths within the thyroid gland that might merit further investigation. Most thyroid nodules are not suspicious for being malignant (cancerous) but if one is found that is of significant size or that is singular and of a solid-texture (solid, cold nodule) rather than among a group of nodules (multi-nodular), additional testing would likely be ordered for further evaluation. These would be precautionary measures, to rule out the possibility of thyroid cancer and the risk for obstructed breathing and/or swallowing if goiters or nodules of significant size are found that pose a danger of growing larger. How Many Americans Suffer Thyroid Disorders?-Suite101

Not Limiting Diagnostic Blood Testing to TSH-only

Thyroid specializing doctors should not limit diagnosis of thyroid disorders to the TSH blood test only (pituitary hormone that reflects thyroid hormone levels). He or she should also not limit the monitoring of thyroid hormone therapy with the TSH level alone. Some thyroid hormone disorders may present with normal TSH levels such as certain types of secondary hypothyroidism. This includes cases of Central Hypothyroidism when TSH may test at normal values, low-normal or even below normal, with thyroid hormone levels (T4 and T3) also at below normal (TSH is supposed to elevate with hypothyroidism). The failure of TSH to rise can be due to failure of the pituitary, the brain-gland that regulates thyroid function. Understanding the TSH Hormone-Suite101

Thorough Monitoring of Newly-Treated Hypothyroid Patients

While TSH is accurate in monitoring thyroid hormone therapy in most cases, if central Hypothyroidism is being treated, the T4 and/or T3 thyroid hormones will also need to be tested. It is also a reasonable precaution to test thyroid hormone levels in addition to TSH in all newly-treated hypothyroid patients for at least the first couple of follow-up blood retests, to make sure both T4 and T3 are staying at proper levels and are correlating properly with TSH. Once it is determined that TSH is all that is needed to monitor a patient’s treatment, the doctor can at that time switch to using it as the only test.

Newly treated hypothyroid patients should be blood retested at no longer than 3-month intervals, while patients who are stable on a dose of replacement thyroid hormone that has reached optimal level, may only need retested once every 6-months. A treating doctor should also instruct their patients to report any symptoms that appear between blood retests that might indicate either over-treatment (hyperthyroid) or under-treatment (hypothyroid) and the possible need for a dose adjustment.

Adjusting Hypothyroid Patient’s Thyroid Hormone Doses

Some thyroid doctors have targeted treatment goals rather than simply treating hypothyroid patients on replacement hormone doses to get their levels anywhere within normal values. However, less than mid-range normal values for the T4 and T3 or low-normal values may keep some patients in a state of unrelieved hypothyroid symptoms.

Doctors who are more targeted to achieve best results for their hypothyroid patients will be willing to adjust their doses of hormone therapy to reach at least mid-range or higher-normal T4 and T3 levels. This may require suppressing the TSH to very low-normal readings in some patients and will require that the treating doctor is willing to make the needed dose adjustments to reach the target therapy goal. Some patients may see more symptom relief with a different type of prescription thyroid hormone (T4 only or combination T4/T3) or a different brand (synthetic or natural) and a doctor should be willing to switch patients to a trial of another type if the initial brand they started treatment with yields unsatisfactory results.

T4 and T3 Hypothyroid Treatment Options-Suite101

Top Thyroid Doctors-Thyroid-Info.com

The copyright of the article Qualities Needed in Hypothyroid Treating Doctors in General Medicine is owned by Jim Lowrance. Permission to republish Qualities Needed in Hypothyroid Treating Doctors in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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