Elevated Tsh In Child_ How High Is A Problem?

[MitziG]

My 8 yr olds thyroid tests came back today. TPO, Free T3 and Free T4 and Thyroglobulin antibody were all within normal range. The Free T4 was 1.22 (range .89-1.76) which was towards the low end, but still ok. His TSh was 4.69 however. This lab uses the old standard of .35-5.5 as normal, so they did not flag it. However, I am aware that that standard was actually supposed to have been changed back in 2003 to be .35-3.0- So, I know this would mean he is slightly hypothyroid.

He doesn't have alot of symptoms of this- he does have dry pale skin, dry hair, is sensitive to cold, and complains of aches and pains alot. Of course, being January in Iowa, the first 3 might be influenced by the weather.

My instinct is to just keep an eye on it, maybe re-test in a year. His Celiac antibodies continue to decline, only 4 points above normal now. He has been gluten-free for 10 months. I am thinking maybe the longer he is gluten free, any thyroid issue may correct itself?

Any thoughts?

[TeknoLen]

It is certainly good to hear that his autoimmune-specific thyroid tests came back in the normal range. That is good news. I think you are still very wise to be concerned with an elevated 4.69 TSH. My endo MD would call that hypo. He revises the normal TSH range (0.40-4.50 mIU/L) on my lab report to reflect his personal opinion normal range of 0.40-2.5 mIU/L. If your doctor did not comment on a 4.69 TSH, it might be worth a second opinion since there are some thyroid problems that are not autoimmune. I also think I would retest much sooner than a year, perhaps monthly until you get a good trend line. Good luck!

[Skylark]

I think you need the advice of a pediatric endocrinologist. Proper thyroid levels are terribly important in growing kids. I wouldn't wait a year to at least talk to an expert if you can get referred.

You might consider supplementing selenium. It is in the enzymes used to make thyroid hormones and deficiency can cause hypothyroidism. Here is some info about it.

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If you're not cooking with iodized salt or eating seafood frequently, he also may be iodine deficient. Switching to iodized salt is a simple fix.

If your local water is fluoridated, consider buying bottled water for him. Fluoride is a thyroid poison and also keeps people from absorbing iodine as well. He can get plenty of fluoride for dental health in toothpaste. Unfortunately carbon filters like Britta or Pur do not remove fluoride. Water has to be either distilled (not terribly healthy) or filtered by reverse osmosis (preferable) to remove it. In my area there are water machines and stores where you can fill a reusable bottle with filtered, safe water for 25-30 cents a gallon.