The Relationship between Population T4/TSH Set Point Data and T4/TSH Physiology

Figure 4

(a) shows a population in which interindividual T4 curve variation is greater than interindividual TSH curve variation (the extreme example of only one TSH curve intersecting with multiple T4 curves is shown), (b) shows the converse, one T4 curve intersecting with multiple TSH curves, and (c) shows a population in which T4 and TSH curve variation are similar (there are multiple T4 and multiple TSH curves and more intersection points). In these graphs the intersection points are marked by circles of different sizes to indicate a typical distribution of the curves and the larger circles indicate that more individuals are expected to lie in the centre of the range as compared to the extremities. The lines of best fit (thick red lines) are drawn such that the differences in the possible slopes of the lines of best fit (the different population curves) are apparent.

(a) Variation in the T4 curves

(b) Variation in the TSH curves

(c) Variation in both the T4 and TSH curves