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Cushing syndrome diagnosis involves cortisol screening and imaging. Learn about the dexamethasone suppression test procedure, preparation, and results.
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Diagnosing endocrine disorders involves precise blood tests and imaging. Learn about hormone testing procedures, preparation, and understanding your results.
In many fields of medicine, a diagnosis starts with a physical exam. In endocrinology, however, the diagnosis starts with numbers. Because hormones are invisible chemicals circulating in your bloodstream, doctors cannot just “look” at you to see if your levels are off.
At LIV Hospital, our diagnostic process is meticulous. We understand that hormone levels can change based on the time of day, your stress levels, or even what you ate for breakfast. Therefore, we use highly standardized testing protocols to ensure accuracy.
Screening tests are the first step. They help us detect common problems like diabetes or thyroid disease before they cause severe damage.
Routine Blood and Urine Tests:
If screening tests show an abnormality, we move to dynamic testing. These are functional tests where we “challenge” the gland to see how it responds.
This test checks if your adrenal glands are working correctly.
We use imaging not just to see the anatomy, but to find tumors that are producing excess hormones.
This test is commonly used to diagnose gestational diabetes in pregnant women or pre-diabetes in adults.
The Step-by-Step Procedure:
Preparation is critical in endocrinology. Hormones follow a “circadian rhythm,” meaning they change throughout the day. If you test at the wrong time, the results can be misleading.
Endocrine results are often reported with a “Reference Range.” It is important to know what this means.
Most patients only need standard blood work. Advanced testing is reserved for specific situations.
You likely need advanced diagnostics if:
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The primary test is TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). If TSH is abnormal, doctors order “Free T4” and “Free T3” to measure the actual thyroid hormones. They may also test for antibodies (TPO) to check for autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s disease.
Do not eat or drink anything containing calories for 8 to 12 hours before the test. This includes coffee (even black coffee can affect some tests) and juice. You can and should drink plain water to stay hydrated, which makes finding a vein easier.
Most patients report that it is not painful, comparing it to a blood draw. The needle is extremely thin. A local anesthetic (numbing medication) is usually injected into the skin first so you don’t feel the poke. You might feel some pressure, but sharp pain is rare.
They are highly accurate if the preparation is done correctly. However, things like stress, time of day, and supplements (like Biotin) can skew results. That is why endocrinologists are very strict about when and how you take the test.
Women should typically have a screening DEXA scan at age 65, and men at age 70. However, if you have risk factors like early menopause, a history of smoking, or have taken steroid medications (like prednisone) for a long time, you may need one much sooner, potentially by age 50.
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