Background/aims: The diagnostic accuracy of thyroid dysfunctions is primarily affected by the validity of the reference interval for serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Thus, the present study aimed to establish a reference interval for TSH using a normal Korean population.
Methods: This study included 19,465 subjects who were recruited after undergoing routine health check-ups. Subjects with overt thyroid disease, a prior history of thyroid disease, or a family history of thyroid cancer were excluded from the present analyses. The reference range for serum TSH was evaluated in a normal Korean reference population which was defined according to criteria based on the guidelines of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry, ultrasound (US) findings, and smoking status. Sex and age were also taken into consideration when evaluating the distribution of serum TSH levels in different groups.
Results: In the presence of positive anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies or abnormal US findings, the central 95 percentile interval of the serum TSH levels was widened. Additionally, the distribution of serum TSH levels shifted toward lower values in the current smokers group. The reference interval for TSH obtained using a normal Korean reference population was 0.73 to 7.06 mIU/L. The serum TSH levels were higher in females than in males in all groups, and there were no age-dependent shifts.
Conclusions: The present findings demonstrate that the serum TSH reference interval in a normal Korean reference population was higher than that in other countries. This result suggests that the upper and lower limits of the TSH reference interval, which was previously defined by studies from Western countries, should be raised for Korean populations.
Keywords: Reference values; Smoking; Thyroid microsomal antibodies; Thyrotropin; Ultrasonography.