Understanding the thyroid stimulating hormone

Human TSH is a glycoprotein. It stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine, which is a hormone that has widespread implications for metabolism in the body. Absence of thyroxine presents significant challenges. Patients with pituitary conditions, who lose the function of TSH, must have life-long thyroxine replacement.

Thyroid hormone or thyroxine increases mental alertness, heart rate, motion of the gastrointestinal tract, breathing drive, as well as brain development and skeletal growth in the foetus.