Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using canine TSH blood test to diagnose hypothyroidism in dogs
By Boretti, F S & Reusch, C E·Published in Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde·2004·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Endogenous TSH in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 65 dogs showing signs of hypothyroidism, like weight gain, lethargy, and skin problems, were tested to see if measuring a hormone called canine thyrotropin (cTSH) could help diagnose the condition. Out of these dogs, 26 were confirmed to have hypothyroidism, while 39 did not. The results showed that dogs with hypothyroidism had higher cTSH levels and lower thyroid hormone levels compared to healthy dogs. While a high cTSH level can confirm hypothyroidism, it’s not reliable enough to rule it out if the level is normal.
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Abstract
To determine whether measurement of canine thyrotropin (cTSH) would aid in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, serum samples of 65 dogs with clinical signs suggestive of hypothyroidism were evaluated. Diagnosis was confirmed in 26 dogs and excluded in 39 dogs based on TSH-stimulation testing. Total thyroxine (T4) was significantly lower and cTSH significantly higher in hypothyroid dogs compared to euthyroid dogs. Canine TSH was above (> 0.6 ng/ml) in 15 (57.7%) and below the upper limit of the reference range in 11 (42.3%) of the hypothyroid dogs. All of the euthyroid dogs had a cTSH < 0.6 ng/ml. In all dogs with a cTSH above the upper limit of the reference range hypothyroidism could be confirmed. Therefore, our results show that measurement of cTSH has an excellent specificity (100%) and is a valuable tool in confirming canine hypothyroidism. However, due to the low sensitivity of cTSH assays (60%), it can not be recommended to exclude the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15124775/