Thyroid-stimulating hormone (also known as thyrotropin, or TSH) is a hormone which stimulates the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormones, which control how fast the body's chemical functions go (the metabolic rate). Thyroid hormones influence the metabolic rate in two ways: by stimulating almost every tissue in the body to produce proteins and by increasing the amount of oxygen that cells use. Thyroid hormones affect many vital body functions.
References[change | change source]
- Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy: thyroid gland disorders. 
- The American heritage dictionary of the English language, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2006. ISBN 0-395-82517-2.
- Sacher, Ronald; Richard A. McPherson (2000). Wildmann's clinical interpretation of laboratory tests, 11th ed. F.A. Davis Company. ISBN 0-8036-0270-7.