Quality of life in patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism after thyroidectomy for benign thyroid disease: population-based study with long-term follow-up.

Abstract

Background: In recent years, several studies have shown that permanent hypoparathyroidism has a negative impact on health-related quality of life. However, these results could have been affected by short-term follow-up, selection bias and confounding factors. The aim of this study was to investigate health-related quality of life in patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy for benign thyroid disease, using a strict definition of permanent hypoparathyroidism and long-term follow-up data.

Methods: All patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for benign thyroid disease in a region of Sweden between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2015 were assessed for eligibility. Eligible patients were invited to participate in the study through a letter on 26 August 2021. The 36-item Short Form Health Survey version 2 was used to compare health-related quality of life in patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism.

Results: Of 1636 patients, 1483 patients were invited to participate in the study. In total, 716 (48.3%) patients answered the Short Form Health Survey questionnaire and were included in the study cohort. Mean(s.d.) follow-up was 10.9(3.2) years. Patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism did not differ in baseline characteristics, with the exception that patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism were younger. There were no evident differences in health-related quality of life between the two groups, encompassing all health domains and summary component scores (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: No difference in health-related quality of life was found between patients with and without permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy on long-term follow-up. These results challenge previous findings and highlight the need for comprehensive, long-term studies to better understand the impact of this condition on health-related quality of life.