Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a visually disabling and cosmetically disfiguring condition. There is a paucity of research on the psychosocial impact of TED. One of the aims of this research is to improve understanding of the extent and type of psychosocial distress experienced by TED patients.

Method: 77 patients with TED were recruited (53 female, 24 male; aged between 25 and 73 years, average age=47.6±11.6 yrs; 58% Caucasian). Participants were given a questionnaire pack comprising psychological scales measuring general anxiety and depression (HADS); quality of life (WHOQoL-Bref); social anxiety (DAS-24); a disease specific QOL measure for people with TED (GO-QOL); and two visual analogue scales (VAS) for participants’ ratings of the perceived noticeablity and severity of their TED.

Results: Statistical comparison of study measures calculated mean scores with normative populations revealed that study participants had significantly raised levels of social anxiety (DAS-24=48.52±16.46; norm=29.54±12.39, P<.001), general anxiety (HADS=9.87±4.81; norm=6.14±3.76, P<.001) and depression (HADS=7.47±4.94; norm=3.68±3.07, P<.001). In addition, in comparison to normative data, study participants had significantly reduced quality of life across all domains of the WHOQoL-Bref (P<.001). Higher ratings of perceived TED severity (VAS) were associated with higher ratings of its noticeability (VAS & GO-QOL App, both P<.001) and with significantly increased levels of general anxiety and depression (HADS, P<.01 and P<.014 respectively) as well as increased social anxiety (DAS-24, P<.001), and reduced QOL (WHOQoL-Bref all domains, P<.05).

Conclusions: Pre-treatment, patients with moderately active TED seem to be experiencing high levels of psycho-social disruption, to levels that suggest psychological assistance would be beneficial.

Declaration of interest: There is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.

Funding: No specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.