[The general practitioner and abnormal thyroid function screening]

The high frequency of thyroid diseases justifies the measurement of serum TSH in regular checkups. If found normal in non-goitrous patients, this measurement is self-sufficient, but pregnant women should also be screened for antithyroid antibodies because they have an increased risk of post-partum Hashimoto's disease. Abnormal TSH concentrations suggesting hyperthyroidism (TSH < 0,3 mU/l) or hypothyroidism (TSH > 5 mU/l) need free T4 and free T3 complementary determinations, and positive anti-thyroid antibodies may indicate Graves-Basedow's disease in case of hyperthyroidism or Hashimoto's disease in case of hypothyroidism. More recently, measurement of anti-TSH-receptor antibodies had allowed the diagnosis and a follow-up tool in some cases of thyroid diseases.