Anti TPO Test Price in Pakistan: Rs 1,190 at Marham Lab

A thyroid antibody test measures the level of thyroid antibodies in your blood to check for autoimmune thyroid disease. MedlinePlus explains that antibodies are proteins your immune system makes to fight germs, and that sometimes they attack your own healthy tissue by mistake. Those are called autoantibodies. At Marham Lab an anti TPO test costs Rs 1,190, reduced from Rs 1,700.

Knowing the order saves money, so it belongs at the top.

MedlinePlus states that your provider may use thyroid antibody tests if other tests have shown that you have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Those first tests look for T3, T4 and TSH. If any of them come back too high or too low, the antibody test is then used to see whether an autoimmune disease is causing the problem.

So the sequence is: [TSH](/labs/tests/tsh-test-price) or a [thyroid panel](/labs/tests/thyroid-test-price) first, antibodies afterwards. Anti TPO answers why your thyroid is misbehaving rather than whether it is.

MedlinePlus explains that thyroid antibodies affect your thyroid's ability to make healthy amounts of thyroid hormone, and names the two conditions that result.

MedlinePlus describes four antibodies, each targeting a different protein involved in making thyroid hormone. Two of them are available on Marham.

MedlinePlus notes your provider decides which tests to use based on your symptoms, the results of other tests, and your medical and family history. Anti TPO is the one most commonly written on prescriptions here.

This is the most important practical section on the page.

MedlinePlus states that if you are pregnant, thyroid disease can harm both you and your fetus, so it is important to get tested as soon as you know you are pregnant. That way, if you do have thyroid disease, it can be treated as soon as possible.

It adds a reassurance that matters, because fear of medicines in pregnancy is common: medicines to treat thyroid disease are safe to take during pregnancy.

MedlinePlus lists being pregnant with thyroid disease or symptoms of thyroid disease among the reasons for antibody testing. If you are pregnant and have ever had an abnormal thyroid result, raise it at your first antenatal visit rather than waiting.

MedlinePlus lists the factors that raise your risk of autoimmune thyroid disease.

• Being female
• Being over the age of 50
• A family history of thyroid disease such as Graves' or Hashimoto's disease
• Having other autoimmune conditions
• Having had thyroid surgery
• Having had radiation treatment to your neck
• Using medicines with a lot of iodine in them

Being female is first on that list, and autoimmune thyroid disease is strikingly common among women in Pakistan. A family history in a mother or sister is worth mentioning to your doctor.

MedlinePlus separates them by disease, and the two lists are near opposites.

Hashimoto's disease, the underactive side: weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, low tolerance for cold temperatures, irregular menstrual periods, constipation, depression, and joint pain.

Graves' disease, the overactive side: weight loss, bulging of the eyes, tremors in the hand, low tolerance for heat, trouble sleeping, anxiety, increased heart rate, and a swollen thyroid known as goitre.

Hair loss with weight gain, feeling cold and irregular periods is the Hashimoto's picture that brings many women to this test. Anxiety with weight loss, tremor and heat intolerance is the Graves' picture.

MedlinePlus gives three possible outcomes.

Negative, meaning no thyroid antibodies were found. Your thyroid symptoms are probably not caused by an autoimmune disease.

Positive for TPOAb or TgAb. This may mean you have Hashimoto's disease. MedlinePlus notes most people with Hashimoto's have high levels of one or both of these antibodies.

Positive for TPOAb, TSI or TRAb. This may mean you have Graves' disease or Hashimoto's disease.

MedlinePlus adds that the more thyroid antibodies you have, the more likely it is that you have an autoimmune thyroid disorder. It closes on an encouraging note: if you are diagnosed with Hashimoto's or Graves' disease, there are medicines you can take to manage your condition.

A positive anti TPO is therefore not a frightening result. It is an explanation, and an explanation with a treatment attached.