[Prescription of thyroid function tests in adults as a function of clinical circumstances and of patient management]

Abstract

A group of experts composed of clinicians and biologists in 7 University Hospitals in the Aquitaine and Paris regions working within the framework of the Coordination Committee for Clinical Evaluation and Quality in Aquitaine (CCECQA) have developed prescription guidelines for thyroid function tests to be performed in adults. The goal was to determine strategies for prescribing thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to screen for thyroid function disorders and follow thyroid function. The resulting recommendations were based on a review of the literature and a consensus among the experts. The first part of the guidelines concern recommended prescriptions in different clinical situations (early diagnosis of hypothyroidism, early diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, follow-up of anti-thyroid drug treatments, follow-up of levothyroxin replacement therapy, institution and follow-up of treatments susceptible of inducing dysthyroidism, pregnancy and post-partum dysthyroidism, palpation of a thyroid nodule). The second part of the guidelines are devoted to prescriptions according to the therapeutic setting (emergency care, psychiatric care, geriatric care).