Everyone Healthy Library
Subclinical Hypothyroidism
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
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- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Linked signs and symptoms
6Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
1Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
7Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Alternative medicine
2Vitamins and minerals
1Minerals
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
22These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Bilirubin Concentration (Neonates, Neonatal Bilirubin)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 120 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 160 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 30 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 60 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, Fasting Glucose)
- Glucose Tolerance Test for Gestational Diabetes (1 Hour After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test for Gestational Diabetes (Fasting Glucose Value)
- Glucose, Blood (Fasting Blood Glucose)
- Glucose, Blood (Post Prandiol Blood Glucose Test, 2 Hour Post Meal Blood Glucose)
- Glucose, Blood (Random Blood Glucose Test)
- Magnesium Concentration (Mg, Blood)
- Sodium Concentration (Na, Blood)
- Sweat Testing
- Thyroid Stimulating Horomone (TSH) Concentration
- Thyroxine (Free T4) Concentration
- Thyroxine (Total T4) Concentration
- Thyroxine Binding Globulin Concentration (TBG, Thyroid Binding Globulin, Blood)
- Triiodothyronine (Free T3) Concentration
- Triiodothyronine (Total T3) Concentration
- Triiodothyronine Uptake Test
- Urine Hydroxyproline Concentration
Biological markers/agents
14This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
5- Bilirubin (Unconjugated Fraction)Reference range exampleBirth - 2wks: 0–10 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y): 0.2–0.75 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsBilirubin Concentration (Neonates, Neonatal Bilirubin)
- Chloride (Sweat, Cl)Reference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 0–50 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsSweat Testing
- Magnesium (Mg, Blood)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 1.3–2.6 mEq/L; Birth - 2wks: 1.4–2.2 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsMagnesium Concentration (Mg, Blood)
- Sodium (Na, Sweat)Reference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 70–90 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsSweat Testing
- Thyroxine Binding Globulin (TBG, Thyroid Binding Globulin, Blood)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y), Female: 1.7–3.6 mg/dL; Infant (0 - 1y), Male: 1.6–3.5 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsThyroxine Binding Globulin Concentration (TBG, Thyroid Binding Globulin
Often decreased
9- Glucose (Blood)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 3–6.1 mmol/L; Adult ( > 16y): 0–6.1 mmol/LLinked diagnostic testsfasting Blood Glucose Test, Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT
- Hydroxyproline (Urine Excretion Rate)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 14–45 mg/24hrs; Adult ( > 16y), Female: 0.4–2.9 mg/2hrsLinked diagnostic testsUrine Amino Acid Concentration, Urine Hydroxyproline Concentration
- Sodium (Na, Blood)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 134–150 mEq/L; Child (0 - 16y): 136–145 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsSodium Concentration (Na, Blood)
- Thyroid Stimulating Horomone (TSH)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0.021–0.11 µg/dL; Newborn (0 - 1month): 0.04–0.19 µg/dLLinked diagnostic testsThyroid Stimulating Horomone (TSH) Concentration, Urine B2 Microglobulin Concentration
- Thyroxine (Total T4)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 6–12 µg/dL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 5–12 µg/dLLinked diagnostic testsThyroxine (Total T4) Concentration
- Thyroxine Index (Free T4)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0.007–0.023 ng/mLLinked diagnostic testsThyroxine (Free T4) Concentration
- Triiodothyronine (Free T3)Reference range example2.7–4.9 pg/mLLinked diagnostic testsTriiodothyronine (Free T3) Concentration
- Triiodothyronine (Total T3)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 1.1–2.43 ng/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 1–2.1 ng/mLLinked diagnostic testsTriiodothyronine (Total T3) Concentration
- Triiodothyronine Uptake PercentageReference range exampleAll: 25–38 %Linked diagnostic testsTriiodothyronine Uptake Test
Introduction / full article
Subclinical Hypothyroidism
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
St John's Wort (Goatweed, tipton weed, Hypericum Perforatum) [1, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: No recommendation (Available evidence does not support claims that St Johns Wort can help to treat hypothyroidism)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
Selenium Supplement [1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. IMPORTANT: Selenium is toxic in high doses. Massive overdoses can cause kidney failure, breathing difficulty and death. Selenium should only be taken at healthy levels which the body is able to tolerate.
Recommendation: No recommendation (Available evidene does not support claims that selenium helps to prevent or treat any thyroid conditions)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Saw Palmetto Extract [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Palmetto extract may cause side effects, though these are uncommon. They may include headache, vomiting, dizziness, constipation, diarrhoea, insomnia or fatigue. Long term effects have not yet been researched.
Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that saw palmetto helps to treat hypothyroidism. More research is needed.)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra):
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: no recommendation (Available evidence does not support claims that Black Walnut helps to treat hypothyroidism)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup
Summary References
Treatments:
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/saw-palmetto
3. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/palmetto/
4. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-sawpalmetto.html
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12137626
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16467543
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18423748
8. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/saw-palmetto/NS_patient-sawpalmetto
9. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/selenium?sitearea=ETO
10. http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/doc.aspx?viewid=ED8AD8E8-6AE5-458D-8091-393F4CB73F0D
11. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-selenium.html
12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9290116
13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9829869
14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10335455
15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2136228
16. http://www.springerlink.com/content/v0r644v4ju5153k2/
17. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/101/5/283
18. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/st-johns-wort
19. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-stjohnswort.html
20. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18843608
21. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11939866
22. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/ataglance.htm
23. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/sjw-and-depression.htm
24. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/how-is-depression-detected-and-treated.shtml
25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11939872
26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12132963
27. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16423519
28. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/299/22/2633