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Free Thyroxine

Meaning

Free Thyroxine (fT4) represents the fraction of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) that is not bound to plasma carrier proteins, such as thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), and is therefore biologically active. This unbound hormone is the only form available to diffuse into target cells to exert its metabolic effects. The measurement of fT4 is a precise clinical marker for assessing the functional status of thyroid hormone delivery to the tissues.