Metabolism Disorders

Endocrinologists at WTMF in Fremont

Your metabolism is responsible for turning the food that you eat into energy in the form of sugars and acids. Your digestive system breaks food down through a series of chemical reactions. Metabolism disorders occur when an individual’s body does not follow the normal metabolic process due to irregular chemical reactions. Some metabolism disorders affect the way amino acids, lipids, or carbohydrates are broken down. Other metabolism disorders, known as “mitochondrial diseases,” impact energy production at the cellular level.

Learn more about certain types of metabolic disorders on the pages below:

• Hypothyroid
• Hyperthyroid

Testing for Metabolic Disorders

Your doctor can provide tests to determine how well your thyroid is doing its job, and to discover whether you have a condition such as hyperthyroidism / hypothyroidism.

Blood tests that can be used to determine thyroid function include:

• TSH test
• Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) test
• Antithyroid antibody test / thyroid peroxidase antibody test (TPOab)
• T₃ test
• T₄ test

Other metabolic disorders—called inherited metabolic disorders—are present at birth. In some cases, routine testing screens for metabolic disorders such as phenylketonuria (PKU) and galactosemia, depending on the regulations in that state. Other inherited metabolism disorders may not be diagnosed until symptoms present. DNA tests and specific blood tests can result in accurate diagnoses for most disorders in this category.

If you believe you may have a thyroid disorder or other metabolic disorder, ask your doctor at Washington Township Medical Foundation about tests available to diagnose these conditions.