Long-term variability in serum thyroglobulin and thyroid related hormones in healthy subjects

Abstract

From 5 young males and 5 young females blood was drawn under highly standardized conditions at 6 to 10 occasions during 4 months. The serum constituents thyroglobulin, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, T3-uptake test, TBG and TSH were determined, and four indices were calculated. The biological intra-individual coefficients of variation were below 0.14 for thyroglobulin, and the inter-individual coefficients for variation ranged from zero for T3-uptake test to 0.35 for thyroglobulin. All results were within the generally accepted reference ranges for normals. Within these ranges the calculations of indices for free thyroxine and triidothyronine according to T3-uptake test and TBG, did not significantly reduce the coefficients of variation for these serum constituents. Thyroglobulin concentrations did not correlate to any of the measured or calculated constituents. The knowledge of these intra- and inter-individual variations of serum thyroglobulin in healthy persons is of importance for the interpretation of variations found in patients.