Hypothyroidism

Diagnosis

Your doctor will examine you and will inspect your thyroid gland, which may be enlarged. Your doctor also will check for characteristic signs of hypothyroidism in your skin, hair, heart and abdomen.

Your doctor will diagnose hypothyroidism based on the results of blood tests for levels of thyroid hormones and serum TSH. The TSH test is the most sensitive test for hypothyroidism caused by problem with the thyroid gland. Your doctor also may order blood tests for cholesterol and other blood components, which are often abnormal in people with hypothyroidism. In patients with symptoms or physical findings involving the heart, an electrocardiogram (EKG) and other cardiac tests may be done.

Expected Duration

In people with short-term hypothyroidism caused by certain types of thyroid inflammation or viral thyroid infections, levels of thyroid hormones usually return to normal after several months. In other people with hypothyroidism, the disorder is a lifelong problem.