Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To assess quality of life (QoL) in people on therapy for hypothyroidism (T4 group) and to compare it with people with untreated sub-clinical hypothyroidism (SCH group).

Method: A newly designed and validated tool, the 18-item ThyDQoL, measuring hypothyroid-specific QoL was completed in a cross sectional survey of the T4 group [n=103, mean age (SD) 55 (14.2) years, 17.5% males], which was similar in age and sex to the SCH group [n=100, mean age (SD) 54 (12.6) years, 18% males]. Respondents rated personally applicable ThyDQoL life domains for impact of hypothyroidism and importance to QoL. Weighted impact scores for applicable domains and an overall Average Weighted Impact score (AWI-18) were then calculated for both groups. Student's unpaired t-test and Mann Whitney U test, as appropriate, were used to compare results between the two groups.

Results: All 18 domains were reported as being negatively affected by hypothyroidism in both groups of patients. The mean (SD) AWI-18 for both groups was similar (-3.14±2.2 in the T4 group vs -3.06±2.2 in SCH). The only significant between-group difference in domain weighted impact scores was for weight (-4.51±2.98 in T4 vs -3.52±2.74 in SCH, p<0.03), indicating greater perceived negative impact of hypothyroidism on patients' weight in the T4 group. There was no difference between men and women in either patient group in AWI-18 or individual life domains.

Conclusion: Hypothyroidism has a negative impact on the QoL of people on levothyroxine therapy as well as on untreated people with SCH, and to a similar degree. This may imply that, with the exception of weight, treating people with overt hypothyroidism with levothyroxine improves their QoL, but only to a the level of those with untreated SCH. Further studies are indicated in people with SCH to assess the impact of treatment on their QoL.