Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody (TPO)

Overview:

Thyroid peroxidase is an enzyme the thyroid uses to build its hormones. Antibodies against it indicate that the immune system is targeting thyroid tissue, and they are the characteristic finding in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the most common cause of an underactive thyroid. They also appear in Graves' disease. Their presence in someone with borderline thyroid function makes progression to an underactive thyroid more likely, which can influence whether and how closely someone is monitored. A proportion of people with these antibodies have entirely normal thyroid function and never develop thyroid disease.

Categories:

Thyroid, Autoimmune

Biomarkers:

1 biomarker