The thyroid peroxidase antibody blood tests is conducted to screen for thyroid diseases. Once a diagnosis has been made, a TPO antibody test may help the doctor diagnose the cause of thyroid disease.
TPO is actually an enzyme found in the thyroid gland which plays an important role in producing thyroid hormones. When the TPO test is conducted, it can detect antibodies in the blood that can help get to the cause of thyroid disease.
If TPO antibodies are detected, doctors may suspect an autoimmune disorder such as Graves’ Hashimoto’s disease. Autoimmune diseases are characterised by antibodies produced by the immune system and then erroneously attacking normal body tissue. If this happens then tenderness, swelling and thyroid malfunction can be the result
If you are pregnant and also suffer from an autoimmune disease involving the thyroid, then your doctor will most likely order a TPO antibody test. It should be noted however, that not every person with TPO antibodies will also have thyroid disease but the presence of these antibodies is an indication of the potential for thyroid disorders in the future.
If a patient is found to have a high TSH reading this test may be used to find out why. If the test is positive for TPO antibodies this may mean that the patient is suffering from hyperthyroidism which is an autoimmune disease also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
If you are found to have a thyroid problem and your doctor suspects you may be suffering from Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease, they will request a TPO antibodies test.
If a patient is already suffering from thyroid disease, pregnancy can exacerbate this condition and if left untreated it could harm both an unborn baby and the mother. That is why it’s important to diagnose a thyroid condition and treat it with drugs that are safe to give in pregnancy, if this is required.
Select the test that you would like to undergo
Go to the Harley Street clinic for your blood draw and pay for your test in person
As soon as the results are ready, the will be sent to you by your chosen method
