Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (Anti-TPO Ab)

Serum

Other names: Thyroid Peroxidase AB, Anti-Thyroidperoxidase abs, Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab, MICROSOMAL ANTIBODIES (TPO), THYROID PEROXIDASE Abs, MICROSOMAL ANTIBODIES (TPO), Thyroperoxidase Ab, S, Thy Peroxidase AbII

check icon Optimal Result: 0 - 34 IU/ml.

Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibodies: What They Are and Why They Matter

What are TPO Antibodies? Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies are a type of antibody that targets thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme essential for thyroid hormone production. These antibodies often develop in people with autoimmune thyroid diseases, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease. The presence of TPO antibodies in the blood can signal an autoimmune cause of thyroid disease.

What is Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO)? Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is an enzyme found in the thyroid gland, which plays a critical role in producing thyroid hormones, including triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). TPO helps add iodine to thyroglobulin, a necessary process in the creation of these hormones. These thyroid hormones regulate essential body functions, such as metabolism, growth, and brain development.

Where is the Thyroid Gland? The thyroid gland is a small, bow-shaped organ located at the front of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. It produces three hormones:

- Triiodothyronine (T3)

- Thyroxine (T4)

- Calcitonin, which helps regulate calcium levels in the body.

Why Do TPO Antibodies Form? Normally, the immune system produces antibodies to fight off harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses. However, in autoimmune conditions, the immune system mistakenly targets the body’s own proteins. In autoimmune thyroid diseases, TPO antibodies are produced when the immune system mistakenly attacks thyroid tissue, leading to inflammation and thyroid dysfunction.

Why Test for TPO Antibodies? A TPO antibody test is often recommended if you’ve been diagnosed with thyroid disease. It helps determine whether the thyroid condition is caused by an autoimmune disorder like Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease. Detecting TPO antibodies in the blood suggests that the immune system is attacking the thyroid, which can lead to swelling, reduced thyroid function, and in some cases, tenderness.

It’s important to note that while some people with TPO antibodies don’t have thyroid disease, the presence of these antibodies increases the risk of developing thyroid issues in the future.

Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases: Graves' Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

  1. Graves' Disease: This condition leads to hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) due to excessive hormone production. The immune system attacks the thyroid, causing it to produce too much thyroid hormone, speeding up many body functions.

  2. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: The most common cause of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) in the U.S., Hashimoto's is characterized by chronic inflammation of the thyroid. Over time, this can impair the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones, leading to a gradual decline in thyroid function.

Normal Range for TPO Antibodies TPO antibody levels are measured in international units per milliliter (IU/mL). The normal range for TPO antibodies is typically less than 34 IU/mL, though this can vary by laboratory. Elevated TPO antibodies suggest an autoimmune process affecting the thyroid. It's important to note that there is no "too low" range for TPO antibodies.

Example Ranges from Laboratories:

  • Quest Diagnostics: <9 IU/mL
  • LabCorp:
    • Adults: <34 IU/mL
    • Children’s ranges vary by age, with younger children having higher upper limits.

TPO Antibodies vs. Thyroglobulin Antibodies Both TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies are types of thyroid antibodies, and they are often elevated in people with autoimmune thyroid diseases. Thyroglobulin is another protein necessary for thyroid hormone production. While both antibodies may be present in autoimmune conditions, TPO antibodies are found more frequently in those with autoimmune thyroid disorders.

Understanding and monitoring TPO antibodies can provide valuable insights into thyroid health and the potential risk for autoimmune thyroid disease.

References:

Frohlich E, Wahl R. (2017).Thyroid Autoimmunity: Role of Anti-thyroid Antibodies in Thyroid and Extra-Thyroidal Diseases. Front Immunol.9;8:521. PMID: 28536577; PMCID: PMC5422478. 

Godlewska M et al. (2019). Thyroid Peroxidase Revisited–What's New?. Hormone and Metabolic Research, 51(12), 765-769.

Rrupulli A et al. (2019). Significance of testing anti-thyroid peroxidase in euthyroid patients. In Endocrine Abstracts (Vol. 63). Bioscientifica.

Xiao Y et al. (2019). Positive thyroid antibodies and risk of thyroid cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Molecular and clinical oncology, 11(3), 234–242.

Rayman, M. (2019). Multiple nutritional factors and thyroid disease, with particular reference to autoimmune thyroid disease. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 78(1), 34-44.

Chahardoli R et al. (2019). [Can supplementation with vitamin D modify thyroid autoantibodies (Anti-TPO Ab, Anti-Tg Ab) and thyroid profile (T3, T4, TSH) in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis? A double blind, Randomized clinical trial. Hormone and Metabolic Research, 51(05), 296-301](https://doi.org/ 10.1055/a-0856-1044).

Zhang W et al. (2021) Immunomodulatory function of vitamin D and its role in autoimmune thyroid disease. Frontiers in immunology, 12, 574967. 

Thyroid function tests. American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-function-tests/.

Overview of thyroid function. Merck Manual Professional Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/thyroid-disorders/overview-of-thyroid-function?query=overview thyroid function.

Postpartum thyroiditis. American Thyroid Association. http://www.thyroid.org/postpartum-thyroiditis/

Jameson JL, et al., eds. Thyroid gland physiology and testing. In: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 20th ed. The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2018. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com

Laposata M. The endocrine system. In: Laposata's Laboratory Medicine: Diagnosis of Disease in the Clinical Laboratory. 3rd ed. The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2019. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com

What does it mean if your Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (Anti-TPO Ab) result is too high?

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies are autoantibodies, which means the body mistakenly produces these antibodies that act against a normal protein, TPO. As such, thyroglobulin antibodies usually indicate an autoimmune disease. TPO antibodies are present in roughly 90% of people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and in half to three-quarters of people with Graves' disease. Thyroglobulin antibodies may be detectable in people without symptoms of thyroid hormone imbalance (subclinical hypothyroidism).

When hypothyroidism causes symptoms, it may cause weakness and fatigue, cold intolerance, shortness of breath, weight gain, constipation, cognitive problems, dry skin, hoarseness, and swelling (edema). In about 10% of cases, TPO antibodies will be detectable in non-autoimmune thyroid disease such as pernicious anemia and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Some specific causes of thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies are:

- Hashimoto's thyroiditis/chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism

- Goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis 

- Atrophic autoimmune thyroiditis

- Grave’s disease

- Differentiated thyroid carcinoma

- Subclinical hypothyroidism

- Pregnancy (abnormal)

- Neonatal period (transient)

- Postpartum thyroiditis

- Painless (silent) thyroiditis

Does high TPO antibodies mean cancer?

High TPO antibodies does not necessarily mean cancer. TPO antibodies are raised in 1-20% of people who have thyroid cancer and they can be raised in healthy people. The main symptom of thyroid cancer is a painless neck lump. It is important to speak to your doctor if you think you have thyroid cancer or any other thyroid disease. At a population level, having a raised TPO antibody level alone does not increase your risk of developing thyroid cancer.  A raised TPO antibody level should be considered together with other blood tests and clinical assessment. The meaning of a raised TPO antibody test in isolation is difficult to interpret and additional investigations may be needed.

All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.

Laboratories

Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place

We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.

lab corp logo
genova diagnostics logo
quest diagnostics logo
dutch test logo
doctors data logo
vibrant america logo
diagnostic solutions logo
zrt laboratory logo
the great plains laboratory logo
cyrex laboratories logo
spectracell logo

Pricing Table

decoration

Personal plans

$15/ month

Complete Plan

Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Begin with first report entered
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

$250/ once

Unlimited Account

Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Receive 10 reports entered for you
  • Skip the $15/month subscription — no recurring payments ever

$45/ month

Pro Monthly

Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track lab results for multiple clients
  • Customize reference ranges per client
  • Export lab histories and reports
  • Begin with first report entered by us
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

About membership

What's included in a Healthmatters membership

microscope icon Import Lab Results from Any Source

person icon See Your Health Timeline

book icon Understand What Your Results Mean

textbook icon

textbook icon Visualize Your Results

folder icon

folder icon

card icon Securely Share With Anyone You Trust

Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story

What Healthmatters Members Are Saying

5 stars rating

I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with  any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.

Anthony

Unlimited Plan Member since 2021

5 stars rating

What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!

Karin

Advanced Plan Member since 2020

5 stars rating

As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!

Paul

Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.

  • Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
  • Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.

With a Healthmatters account, you can:

  • Upload lab reports from any lab
  • View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
  • Track trends and monitor changes over time
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export and share your full lab history
  • Access your results anytime, from any device

Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

shield icon

We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

gdpr compliance image hipaa compliance image