Anti-TPO antibody test

Antibodies directed against the thyroid.

€17.47. You pay at the desk, not online.

Anti-TPO antibody test: what it is for

Anti-TPO antibodies are antibodies your immune system makes, by mistake, against thyroid peroxidase: an enzyme your thyroid uses to make its hormones. They are the most common sign of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Many people have them and feel well.

When it is done

Doctors mostly order them when TSH is high, to see whether Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the cause. They also order them if an ultrasound shows an inflamed thyroid, if there is a goitre, or before and during pregnancy if TSH is not right.

They are not needed for people who feel well and have a normal TSH: having them changes nothing for now, and there is no treatment that makes them go away.

How the anti-TPO antibody test is done

It is a blood test, done at a Bianalisi lab without a prescription. You can add other tests to the same draw.

Questions about the anti-TPO antibody test.

Do I need to fast for the anti-TPO antibody test? It depends on the lab, and it is often done with other tests that need fasting. If you take biotin, the kind in hair, skin and nail supplements, ask your doctor whether to stop it at least two days before the draw, and tell the lab: it can skew the result.

How much does the anti-TPO antibody test cost? €17.47, from Bianalisi’s private list for Lombardy. You pay at the desk on the day of the draw, not online.

Do I need a prescription for the anti-TPO antibody test? No. You book it here without a prescription and pay at the Bianalisi desk.

When do results arrive? Within 10 working days, in the Rosa app, with each value next to the lab’s interval. The report a doctor approves is in the Rosa membership.