Thyroid Surgery Complication May Not Affect Quality of Life

TOPLINE:

A population-based Swedish study showed no significant differences in health-related quality of life between patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy over a mean follow-up duration of 11 years.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers in Sweden conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study to examine differences in health-related quality of life between patients with and without hypoparathyroidism who underwent total thyroidectomy for benign thyroid disease between 2005 and 2015.
• They analysed data of 46 patients (mean age, 35.8 years) with permanent hypoparathyroidism and 653 patients (mean age, 45.7 years) without the condition.
• Permanent hypoparathyroidism was defined as low serum levels of parathyroid hormone with hypocalcaemia at 12 months post-surgery or at least one failed attempt to manage levels of calcium and/or active vitamin D at 12-24 months post-surgery.
• The quality of life was assessed using the Swedish version of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire, evaluating eight health domains and two summary scores.
• The mean follow-up duration of the study was 10.9 years.

TAKEAWAY:

• No significant differences in baseline characteristics, including indication for surgery, were observed between patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism; however, those with permanent hypoparathyroidism were significantly younger than those without (mean age, 35.8 vs 45.7 years; P < .001).
• Similarly, no significant differences were observed between patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism across all health domains and the summary component scores (P > .05 for all).
• A comparable proportion of patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism scored within or above the average range on the physical component summary (P = .802) and the mental component summary (P = .387).

IN PRACTICE:

“It is possible that the impact on HRQoL [health-related quality of life] is most prominent during the initial interval and diminishes over time as patients adapt to their life-long complication,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Matilda Annebäck, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. It was published online on May 07, 2025, in BJS Open.

LIMITATIONS:

This study did not include data on socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. The response rate of the study was 48.3%, which could have introduced a non-response bias. The 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire might not fully capture aspects unique to hypoparathyroidism.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by grants from the Bergholm Foundation. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.