diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 768d840f3..311d01098 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ endif
 # without appearing here. Currently defined DEBUG macros include DEBUG_FULL,
 # DEBUG_MEM_STATS, DEBUG_DONT_SHARE_POOLS, DEBUG_FD, DEBUG_POOL_INTEGRITY,
 # DEBUG_NO_POOLS, DEBUG_FAIL_ALLOC, DEBUG_STRICT_ACTION=[0-3], DEBUG_HPACK,
-# DEBUG_AUTH, DEBUG_SPOE, DEBUG_UAF, DEBUG_THREAD, DEBUG_STRICT, DEBUG_DEV,
+# DEBUG_AUTH, DEBUG_SPOE, DEBUG_UAF, DEBUG_THREAD=0-2, DEBUG_STRICT, DEBUG_DEV,
 # DEBUG_TASK, DEBUG_MEMORY_POOLS, DEBUG_POOL_TRACING, DEBUG_QPACK, DEBUG_LIST,
 # DEBUG_COUNTERS=[0-2], DEBUG_STRESS, DEBUG_UNIT.
 DEBUG =
diff --git a/include/haproxy/defaults.h b/include/haproxy/defaults.h
index c08b48e1d..7b6b6ec0d 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/defaults.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/defaults.h
@@ -594,6 +594,11 @@
 # define DEBUG_STRICT 1
 #endif
 
+/* Let's make DEBUG_THREAD default to 0, and make sure it has a value */
+#ifndef DEBUG_THREAD
+# define DEBUG_THREAD 0
+#endif
+
 /* Let's make DEBUG_COUNTERS default to 1 to have glitches counters by default */
 #ifndef DEBUG_COUNTERS
 # define DEBUG_COUNTERS 1
diff --git a/include/haproxy/thread-t.h b/include/haproxy/thread-t.h
index f1e7895a5..4539742b4 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/thread-t.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/thread-t.h
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 #define __decl_rwlock(lock)
 #define __decl_aligned_rwlock(lock)
 
-#elif !defined(DEBUG_THREAD) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL)
+#elif (DEBUG_THREAD < 1) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL)
 
 /************** THREADS ENABLED WITHOUT DEBUGGING **************/
 
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 /* When thread debugging is enabled, we remap HA_SPINLOCK_T and HA_RWLOCK_T to
  * complex structures which embed debugging info.
  */
-#if !defined(DEBUG_THREAD) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL)
+#if (DEBUG_THREAD < 1) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL)
 
 #define HA_SPINLOCK_T        __HA_SPINLOCK_T
 #define HA_RWLOCK_T          __HA_RWLOCK_T
diff --git a/include/haproxy/thread.h b/include/haproxy/thread.h
index 6ba6602cc..af449a6f7 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/thread.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/thread.h
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ static inline unsigned long thread_isolated()
 	return _HA_ATOMIC_LOAD(&isolated_thread) == tid;
 }
 
-#if !defined(DEBUG_THREAD) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL)
+#if (DEBUG_THREAD < 1) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL)
 
 /* Thread debugging is DISABLED, these are the regular locking functions */
 
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ static inline unsigned long thread_isolated()
 #define HA_RWLOCK_TRYRDTOSK(lbl,l)      (!pl_try_rtos(l)) /* R -?> S */
 #define HA_RWLOCK_TRYRDTOWR(lbl, l)     (!pl_try_rtow(l)) /* R -?> W */
 
-#else /* !defined(DEBUG_THREAD) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL) */
+#else /* (DEBUG_THREAD < 1) && !defined(DEBUG_FULL) */
 
 /* Thread debugging is ENABLED, these are the instrumented functions */
 
diff --git a/src/thread.c b/src/thread.c
index ef98648f2..caaf7c25c 100644
--- a/src/thread.c
+++ b/src/thread.c
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ void wait_for_threads_completion()
 	for (i = 1; i < global.nbthread; i++)
 		pthread_join(ha_pthread[i], NULL);
 
-#if defined(DEBUG_THREAD) || defined(DEBUG_FULL)
+#if (DEBUG_THREAD > 0) || defined(DEBUG_FULL)
 	show_lock_stats();
 #endif
 }
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ static int thread_cpus_enabled()
 
 /* Below come the lock-debugging functions */
 
-#if defined(DEBUG_THREAD) || defined(DEBUG_FULL)
+#if (DEBUG_THREAD > 0) || defined(DEBUG_FULL)
 
 struct lock_stat lock_stats_rd[LOCK_LABELS] = { };
 struct lock_stat lock_stats_sk[LOCK_LABELS] = { };
@@ -1140,7 +1140,7 @@ void __spin_unlock(enum lock_label lbl, struct ha_spinlock *l,
 	HA_ATOMIC_INC(&lock_stats_sk[lbl].num_unlocked);
 }
 
-#endif // defined(DEBUG_THREAD) || defined(DEBUG_FULL)
+#endif // (DEBUG_THREAD > 0) || defined(DEBUG_FULL)
 
 
 #if defined(USE_PTHREAD_EMULATION)