Biomaterial Database

Artifactual elevation of thyroid-stimulating hormone. 1991

J M Wood, and D L Gordon, and A N Rudinger, and M M Brooks

Department of Medicine, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois.

A clinically euthyroid patient was found to have a normal serum thyroxine level and an elevated plasma thyrotropin (TSH) level measured by fluoroimmunoassay. Thyroid hormone therapy failed to suppress the TSH level. The TSH level was unresponsive to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) administration, alpha-subunits of pituitary glycoproteins were undetectable in her plasma, and imaging of the pituitary-hypothalamic region was normal. Measurement of TSH with an assay containing sheep antibody to TSH failed to reveal TSH in the patient's plasma. Addition of mouse IgG to the TSH fluoroimmunoassay reduced the patient's TSH to an undetectable level. These observations are consistent with a spurious elevation of TSH due to the presence of an anti-mouse antibody. Artifactual elevations of TSH have not been identified commonly, but this possibility should be considered when the TSH level is inappropriate for the apparent state of thyroid function.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D005067	Euthyroid Sick Syndromes	Conditions of abnormal THYROID HORMONES release in patients with apparently normal THYROID GLAND during severe systemic illness, physical TRAUMA, and psychiatric disturbances. It can be caused by the loss of endogenous hypothalamic input or by exogenous drug effects. The most common abnormality results in low T3 THYROID HORMONE with progressive decrease in THYROXINE; (T4) and TSH. Elevated T4 with normal T3 may be seen in diseases in which THYROXINE-BINDING GLOBULIN synthesis and release are increased.	High T4 Syndrome,Low T3 Syndrome,Low T3 High T4 Syndrome,Low T3 and Low T4 Syndrome,Low T3-High T4 Syndrome,Low T3-Low T4 Syndrome,Non-Thyroidal Illness Syndrome,Sick Euthyroid Syndrome,Euthyroid Sick Syndrome,High T4 Syndromes,Low T3 Low T4 Syndrome,Non Thyroidal Illness Syndrome,Syndrome, Non-Thyroidal Illness,Syndrome, Sick Euthyroid,Syndromes, Non-Thyroidal Illness
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000906	Antibodies	Immunoglobulin molecules having a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which they interact only with the ANTIGEN (or a very similar shape) that induced their synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially PLASMA CELLS).
D000911	Antibodies, Monoclonal	Antibodies produced by a single clone of cells.	Monoclonal Antibodies,Monoclonal Antibody,Antibody, Monoclonal
D013960	Thyroid Function Tests	Blood tests used to evaluate the functioning of the thyroid gland.	Jostel's TSH Index,Jostel's Thyrotropin Index,Protein-Bound Iodine Test,SPINA-GD,SPINA-GT,Secretory Capacity of the Thyroid Gland,Sum Activity of Peripheral Deiodinases,Thyrotroph Thyroid Hormone Sensitivity Index,Thyroid Gland Function Tests,Function Test, Thyroid,Iodine Test, Protein-Bound,Jostel TSH Index,Jostel Thyrotropin Index,Jostel's TSH Indices,Jostels TSH Index,Jostels Thyrotropin Index,Protein Bound Iodine Test,Protein-Bound Iodine Tests,TSH Index, Jostel's,Test, Protein-Bound Iodine,Test, Thyroid Function,Thyroid Function Test,Thyrotropin Index, Jostel's
D013972	Thyrotropin	A glycoprotein hormone secreted by the adenohypophysis (PITUITARY GLAND, ANTERIOR). Thyrotropin stimulates THYROID GLAND by increasing the iodide transport, synthesis and release of thyroid hormones (THYROXINE and TRIIODOTHYRONINE). Thyrotropin consists of two noncovalently linked subunits, alpha and beta. Within a species, the alpha subunit is common in the pituitary glycoprotein hormones (TSH; LUTEINIZING HORMONE and FSH), but the beta subunit is unique and confers its biological specificity.	Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone,TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone),Thyreotropin,Thyrotrophin,Hormone, Thyroid-Stimulating,Thyroid Stimulating Hormone