I just had a thyroid uptake scan. 13.8% what does this mean?

Possible hypothyroid: Thyroid uptake depends on thyroid iodine trapping which is proportional to the rate at which the thyroid is making hormone. The total amount of iodine in the diet is also a major factor. If you use iodized salt and live by the seashore your body will have more iodine available to dilute the test dose; thus giving a lower uptake value.High sensitivity TSH is a much more reliable indicator.

MAY BE NORMAL: Normal range of thyroid uptake varies from lab to lab and geographic region to region. For those labs who accepts 10% to 30% as normal range, the 13.8% may be considered normal but lower range of normal.

Normal uptake: This percentage refers to the percentage of radioiodine uptake at 24 hours after its administration. In your case, this means that 13.8% of the radioactive iodine you ingested during the test is present in your thyroid gland 24 hours later. A normal uptake usually varies between 10 and 30% at 24 hours. Other parameters such as thyroid hormone levels are used as well to verify the status of thyroid.