Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Radioactive iodine (RAI) is a commonly used treatment modality in Graves’ hyperthyroidism. Patient choice is a major factor in advising radioiodine but there are few data on patient satisfaction following treatment.

Method: Questionnaire

An anonymised questionnaire was distributed to 100 individuals on the thyroid register with RAI treated Graves’ hyperthyroidism. The survey included questions relating to side effects, effectiveness and overall satisfaction with treatment.

Audit

An audit was also carried out on 83 of these individuals to determine the effectiveness of RAI treatment, time from diagnosis to treatment, time to hypothyroidism and effects of RAI on body weight.

Results: Questionnaire

Fifty-eight (58%) questionnaires were completed and returned. Thirty-eight (65%) respondents were satisfied with RAI treatment. Thirty-eight (65%) would have chosen RAI earlier and 30 (52%) would recommend it to a friend. Fifty-five percent (32/58) patients experienced a side effect relating to the treatment. Tiredness (36%) was the most common adverse event followed by neck pain (9%) and eye symptoms (5%).

Audit

From the audit results the average time from first diagnosis to RAI was 31.6 months. Family and workplace contacts led to an average delay of 19.2 and 7.2 months respectively as compared to those without these restrictions. All 83 patients were cured from hyperthyroidism following a single dose of RAI 555 MBq. Ninety-two percent (76/83) developed hypothyroidism with the average time from diagnosis to hypothyroidism being 4.3 months. The average weight gain in the 6 months post RAI was 2.9 kg.

Comments

Satisfaction with RAI treatment was high in those who responded to the questionnaire and the majority stated they would have chosen it earlier and would recommend the treatment to a friend. RAI is a highly effective therapy for Graves’ disease and better perceived by patients than might be generally appreciated.