Thyroid disorders and importance of clinical evaluation for thyroid function study; -A study of 1250 patients

Total 1250 patients who under went thyroid function studies in Nuclear Medicine Centre, Faridpur was retrospectively studied to see the pattern of thyroid problems in greater Faridpur region as well as to find out the importance of history taking before thyroid function study. Regarding thyroid morphology, nodular goiters specially the multi nodular ones were found relatively less indicating the region of low iodine deficiency state. Among the thyroid function abnormalities, hypothyroidism was relatively common and may of these patients do not have any goiter indicating intrinsic thyroid failure rather than iodine deficiency as the main cause. Preliminary diagnosis from history was correlated with the assay results and good correlation was found specially when two probable diagnosis were made. In patients with uncoordinated (no coordination between T3, T4 and TSH levels) and reverse results (when the result was the third one after two probable diagnosis made or it was hypothyroid in case of a preliminary diagnosis of hyperthyroid or vice versa) the assay was repeated and many of the results were corrected and delivery of a wrong report was avoided. It was easy to select the candidates for the repeat assay by correlating the results with the preliminary diagnosis from patients history.(author)