High thyroid stimulating hormone is caused by low levels of thyroid hormone in the body, or by pituitary or hypothalamic pathology. There is a risk of slower basal metabolic rate and abnormal lipid metabolism. Common conditions that cause elevated thyrotropin include hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism, and pituitary tumors. The risks associated with elevated thyrotropin levels vary in different populations: in fetuses, infants, and children, it can affect growth and intelligence; in adults, it can cause abnormalities in lipid metabolism, elevated cholesterol levels, and atherosclerosis; and in women, it can lead to disruption of the menstrual cycle, amenorrhea, and adverse events such as miscarriage and fetal loss during pregnancy. Prolonged increase in thyrotropin level, accompanied by a decrease in thyroxine, can be severe, such as mucous edema coma. Therefore, if you have an elevated thyrotropin level, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible, to determine and evaluate with the help of your doctor which condition you are in, and to intervene aggressively to treat it.