For female data, Figure 2, a significant negative correlation between age and T4 values was determined (P < 0.001, r2 = 33%). Finally, the presence of other illnesses may cause the thyroxine concentration to be reduced. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2014. The Total T4 Test This test is also known as the Baseline T4 Test and is the most commonly used test. Some of the most common signs of hyperthyroidism to watch out for are: Increased appetite, coupled with weight loss Excessive thirst Increased urination Decreased activity levels WebIn patients whose signs are consistent with hyperthyroidism but whose thyroid levels are towards the mid-to-high end of the normal range, further blood testing and imaging The effect of age on thyroid hormone concentrations in euthyroid cats was also investigated because conflicting results exist for the question whether thyroid hormone levels alter with age (Peterson and Gamble 1990, Thoday et al. However further research is needed to investigate whether there is a direct link between hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus. Consequently, testing for hyperthyroidism has become easier and this paper recommends it to be considered as part of the routine blood tests that are run on a daily basis within the practice. 1983). The median weight of euthryoid cats was 4.4 kg with a range of 1.96.7 kg. The level of significance was set at p<0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. From a practice point of view, protocols should look at educating owners of the early signs of hyperthyroidism as well as encouraging frequent health check-ups and not by an age cut-off point as, from this research, there was no association between age and hyperthyroidism amongst clinically normal cats. Influencing Factors and New Reference Intervals of Adult Thyroid Volume in Iodine-Sufficient Areas of China. If it is not low, this might mean that there are still thyroid cancer cells in the body. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. However, many organizations agree that a reading of 2.5 or less is truly ideal for normal thyroid levels, with anything 2.5 4.0 mIU/L considered at risk. Signs include weight loss despite a normal or increased appetite, hyperactivity, intermittent gastrointestinal disorders, polydipsia and polyuria, tachycardia, cardiac murmur and palpable goitre (Taylor et al, 1989; Graves, 2017). This can also be confirmed by comparing DSH against all other cats (which included all purebreed cats).