Use of a sensitive enzyme immunoassay for human thyrotropin in the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism

✍ Scribed by Manjula K. Gupta; Karen Seifarth; Sharad D. Deodhar; O. P. Schumacher

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 440 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0887-8013
• DOI: 10.1002/jcla.1860010120

✦ Synopsis

A sensitive, simultaneous sandwich enzyme immunoassay for TSH was evaluated especially for its ability to distinguish hyperthyroid patients from the euthyroid population. A total of 140 patient samples was analzyed by this assay as well as with a two-step sandwich radioimmunoassay. The diagnostic sensitivity of the thyrotropin assay was 92.5% and the specificity was 88%. False negatives by thyrotropin assay included two patients with Graves' disease who were being treated with propranolol at the time of testing and one patient who was considered . . . .

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hyperthyroid while receiving synthroid. Twelve patients with elevated free thyroxine index levels were considered euthyroid and 50% of these had thyrotropin values that were undetectable; most were elderly patients with nonthyroidal illnesses. Although the thyrotropin enzyme immunoassay had good sensitivity and precision for the detection of hyperthyroidism, our data suggest the limitation of a single thyrotropin determination in establishing the euthyroid state, especially in elderly patients with associated nonthyroidal illnesses and hyperthyroxinemia.