The photograph of your sister's
thyroid report you have attached is a mobile screenshot and the printed values are not legible enough for me to comment on the exact
TSH, T3 and T4 figures - I would not want to interpret a 37-year-old woman's thyroid status from a blurred image. What I can tell you is that in this age group a raised TSH with normal T4 usually means subclinical hypothyroidism, while a raised TSH with low T4 means overt hypothyroidism, and only the second group definitely needs thyroxine. The decision also depends on her symptoms - weight gain, cold intolerance, tiredness, constipation, hair fall, heavy or irregular periods, or any plan of pregnancy.
Next Steps
1) Please upload a clear, well-lit photo or the PDF of the full report showing
TSH, free T4 and free T3 with the lab's reference ranges. 2) If TSH is high, get anti-TPO antibodies added - it tells us whether this is autoimmune (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis, which is the commonest cause in Indian women. 3) Also check haemoglobin,
vitamin B12 and
vitamin D, since tiredness in hypothyroidism is often partly from anaemia or deficiency. 4) Blood should be drawn fasting, in the morning, before any
thyroid tablet. 5) Do not start or change thyroxine dose based on a single unclear report - dose is decided by weight and TSH level and rechecked after 6-8 weeks. Once you have the clear report, you can share it with me on a Practo online consult, or she may see me at Synergy Multispeciality Hospital, Miraj for a clinical examination of the neck along with the reports.
Health Tips
Please avoid over-the-counter
thyroid or iodine supplements. If she has a visible neck swelling, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, very slow pulse, marked swelling of the face or excessive drowsiness, she should be examined without delay.