Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Despite available treatment for hypothyroidism, levothyroxine replacement therapy in a biochemically appropriate dose does not necessarily relieve patients’ symptoms and complaints. The aim of the study was to evaluate the concerns of patients treated with hypothyroidism and to correlate these concerns with different patient characteristics and thyroid biochemical control.

Method: One hundred and eighteen treated primary hypothyroid patients attending Al-Faiha Diabetes Endocrine and Metabolism Center (FDEMC) in Al-Basrah were entering a questionnaire designed to capture personal, anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical data. Twenty-four concerns were questioned to the patients who score these concerns on a four point Likert scale.

Results: The most scored patients’ concerns were fatigue, neuropathic pain, lack of weight loss, cold intolerance, breathing problems, and swallowing problems. No statistically significant relations were existed between these concerns and TSH control, except for a high TSH group which were highly likely to have concerns of feeling sick (OR: 0.27, 95% CI 0.54–2.0, P=0.001), neuropathic pain (OR: 0.4, 95% CI 0.17–1.6, P=0.01), cold intolerance (OR: 0.35, 95% CI 0. 0.3–1.7, P=0.005), and hair problems (OR: 0.26, 95% CI 0.6–2.1, P<0.0001). While they were less likely to have concerns about lack of weight loss (OR: 8.7, 95% CI −2.9 to −1.3, P<0.0001) and permanent medication (OR: 2.7, 95% CI −1.8 to −0.35, P=0.003) than in normal TSH patients where these concerns scored more and significantly. A significant correlation existed between duration of the hypothyroidism and patients’ concerns of swelling of the hands and feet (R=0.7, P<0.0001), memory problems (R=0.4, P<0.0001), hearing disturbance (R=0.38, P<0.0001), and hair problems (R=0.3, P=0.001). Age significantly affect patients concerns of memory problems (R=0.6, P<0.0001), swelling of the hands and feet (R=0.4, P<0.0001), and hearing disturbance (R=0.37, P<0.0001). Positive correlation was present between LDL cholesterol level and patients’ concerns of cold intolerance (R=0.3, P=0.001), hair problems (R=0.28, P=0.003), feeling sick (R=0.2, P=0.02), and neuropathic pain (R=0.18, P=0.04). The total cholesterol level also showed a positive correlation with patients’ concerns of cold intolerance (R=0.3, P=0.001), hair problems (R=0.25, P=0.01), neuropathic pain (R=0.22, P=0.01), and fatigue (R=0.2, P=0.04).

Conclusion: We cannot rely on the TSH level alone as a marker of optimal treatment outcome in patients with primary hypothyroidism because it does not reflect the concern status of the patients.