Hormones 2016

Thyroxine, free - T4
Raised testosterone levels
• Acne, oily skin,
• Change in voice,
• Decreased breast size,
• Excess hair growth (thick, dark hair in the area of the moustache,
beard, sideburns, chest, buttocks, inner thighs),
• Increased size of the clitoris,
• Irregular or absent menstrual periods,
• Male-pattern baldness or hair thinning (medlineplus, 2014b).
Abnormal results
Increased testosterone
• Resistance to the action of male hormones (androgen resistance),
• Tumour of the ovaries,
• Cancer of the testes,
• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia,
• Taking medications or drugs that increase testosterone levels (medlineplus,
2014b).
Decreased testosterone
• Chronic illness,
• Condition in which the pituitary gland does not produce normal
amounts of some or all of its hormones,
• Injury or disease of the hypothalamus,
• Delayed puberty,
• Diseases of the testicles (trauma, infection, immune),
• Noncancerous tumour of the pituitary cells that produce too much of
the hormone prolactin (medlineplus, 2014b).
Thyroxine, free - T4
This test is used in the diagnosis of Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism
Analyte Reference range
Thyroxine, free 9–19 pmol/L (Director,
2013)
Thyroxine, free 12–22 pmol/l (Dr. Lamb,
2014)
Thyroxine, free 10–24 pmol/L (Eaton,
2014)
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