How to Use Thyroid Tests to Detect Bulimia
The thyroid gland is located near the Adam's apple and plays an essential role in the metabolism of your entire body. You can use thyroid tests to detect bulimia and damage to the gland itself.
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Instructions
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Use Thyroid Tests to Detect Bulimia
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Look for general signs of thyroid problems in the patient's behavior. Hypothyroidism can cause weakness and fatigue. Often, hypothyroidism is the body's attempt to lower its metabolism in an attempt to fight malnutrition and infrequent meals.
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Use radioimmunoassay (RIA) tests to check the levels of the T4 hormone produced by the thyroid. This common thyroid test can be an excellent way to check the gland's function, but some medications can interfere with the results.
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Check the levels of the T3 hormone that the thyroid makes by using RIA tests. The gland makes about 20 percent of T3 and 80 percent of T4, but some conditions only affect the manufacturing of T3. Even if T4 production is normal, these tests should be done so that you have a total picture of the thyroid's function.
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Compare the hormone levels against the expected levels of production for the patient's age and size. Generally, bulimia can cause hyperthyroidism, so the T3 and T4 tests will show higher than average amounts of the hormones.
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Use an iodine uptake scan to detect absorption problems that could be caused by bulimia. The iodine absorption is measured over the course of a few minutes and bulimia patients are expected to show lower-than-normal absorption, which can be a symptom of hypothyroidism. In order to provide accurate results, this test must be done while the patient has an empty stomach.
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Take a thyroid scan to create an accurate picture of the patient's thyroid and look for any damage caused by starvation. A radioisotope must be used in order to do this type of scan, and since iodine is commonly used, this scan can be done at the same time as an iodine uptake test.
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Consider checking the pituitary gland's production of the thyrotropin (TSH), which is the thyroid-stimulating hormone. In the event of severe or chronic bulimia, production of TSH may be restricted and the patient will need treatment in order to restore normal metabolic levels.
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Tips & Warnings
The thyroid gland often changes its regular behavior as a result of decreased nutrition from bulimia. The best way to correct thyroid problems is to treat the eating disorder directly.
Thyroid tests are becoming increasingly more accurate, but two or more tests are generally needed in order to properly detect problems.
