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The film in words
About 1 in 20 people has some kind of thyroid disorder. They’re very common and mostly affect women, though anyone can have one. An underactive thyroid is the most common.
The most common cause of an underactive thyroid is autoimmune thyroid disease. The immune system attacks the thyroid’s cells as though they were foreign, and the thyroid can become underactive. This form is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
TPO antibodies come from the immune system. They’re high in Hashimoto’s and sometimes in Graves’ disease. More than 9 in 10 people with Hashimoto’s have them, and so do about 1 in 10 people with no thyroid problem.
Positive means they’re above the lab’s cut-off. Some people with no thyroid problem have positive antibodies too.
Guidance for doctors is not to repeat TPO antibody tests, because a change in the level is unlikely to change treatment.
An underactive thyroid is treated with levothyroxine, a man-made version of the T4 the thyroid makes.
Sources: British Thyroid Foundation: your thyroid gland; British Thyroid Foundation: hypothyroidism; British Thyroid Foundation: thyroid function tests; British Thyroid Foundation: thyroid antibodies; NICE NG145; NICE NG145, rationale
More films
How your thyroid worksThe gland, its two hormones, and the signal from the brain that runs it.1 min 15
What your blood test showsWhat a usual test looks at, TSH and free T4 side by side, and lab ranges.1 min 31
Levothyroxine, and how to take itWhat it does, taking it so it’s absorbed, missed doses, and why changes take time.1 min 41
Still not feeling right?When results are in range but symptoms aren’t, and what to ask your GP.1 min 16
Basic and full thyroid testsWhat TSH, free T4, free T3 and the two antibodies each add.1 min 33
Lab ranges and your reportThe units on a report, typical ranges as a guide, age, and antibody cut-offs.1 min 17
TPO antibodies, in detailWhat a positive result can mean, with or without a thyroid problem, and why it stays.1 min 11
Tg antibodies, in detailThyroglobulin, why it’s watched after thyroid cancer, and what its antibodies change.58 sec
Iron, B12 and vitamin DOther results you may have, why they come up with the thyroid, and coeliac disease.1 min 25
Pregnancy and your thyroidPlanning a pregnancy, the dose and tests in pregnancy, and after the birth.1 min 33
General information, not a diagnosis. Your GP can tell you what your results mean for you.