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Quality of Life (QoL) in Patients With Benign Thyroid Goiters (Pre- and Post-Thyroidectomy): A Prospective Study

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Abstract

Background

Preservation of quality of life (QoL) seems an important therapeutic goal in patients with benign thyroid diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of thyroidectomy on QoL in patients with benign goiters and to assess the significance of various factors affecting the outcome.

Methods

A prospective study consisting of 100 patients with benign goiters was conducted between November 2009 and March 2011. Patients completed a disease-specific ThyPRO questionnaire to assess QoL before and 6 months after thyroidectomy. Preoperative and postoperative scores were compared; and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Results

Mean age of the patients was 40.5 years (M:F = 1:4.3); 82 % of the patients had nodular goiters, and the remaining 18 % had diffuse disease. None of the patients had overt thyroid dysfunction at the time they completed the questionnaire. Operative treatment for 54 % of the patients involved total thyroidectomy, whereas 46 % underwent hemithyroidectomy. None of these patients developed any permanent morbidity following surgery. Mean scores of QoL in the 12 domains examined were low and improved significantly (p < 0.001) after surgery: symptoms, 19.4 versus 0.7; fatigue, 29.5 versus 1.5; vitality, 44.4 versus 3.0; memory and concentration, 25.7 versus 1.5; nervousness, 29.6 versus 1.8; psychological well-being, 33.9 versus 1.3; mood swings, 34.9 versus 0.8; relationship, 15.4 versus 1.4; daily activity, 18.7 versus 1.3; sex life, 20.9 versus 1.7; appearance, 14.7 versus 1.0; and overall, 27 versus 5.5. On univariate analysis, weight of goiter was found to be significantly associated with improvement in the scores of the memory and concentration domain (p = 0.03). On multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with improvement in different domains were young age (nervousness, p = 0.009), female gender (fatigue, p = 0.02), and weight of goiter (symptoms, p = <0.001; vitality, p = <0.001; and memory and concentration, p = <0.001).

Conclusions

Patients with benign goiters experience significant improvement in QoL after thyroidectomy.

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Acknowledgments

We are greatly indebted to T. Watt (Department of Endocrinology, PE, 2131, Righospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark) the developer of ThyPro questionnaire, for collaborating in the translation process and permitting us to use the questionnaire for this study. We also thank the translators, Subash Pandora and Meenakshi Pawha, for helping with the reverse translation of the questionnaire. The authors are also grateful for the contribution of M. S. Siddiqui in typing the Hindi version of the questionnaire.

Disclosure

The authors declare no commercial interest or conflict of interest in the subject of study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrine Surgery, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli Road, Lucknow, 226 014, India

    Anjali Mishra, Mayilvaganan Sabaretnam, Gyan Chand, Gaurav Agarwal, Amit Agarwal, Ashok Kumar Verma & Saroj Kanta Mishra

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  1. Anjali Mishra
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  2. Mayilvaganan Sabaretnam
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  3. Gyan Chand
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  4. Gaurav Agarwal
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  5. Amit Agarwal
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  7. Saroj Kanta Mishra
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anjali Mishra.

Additional information

Mayilvaganan Sabaretnam and Anjali Mishra have contributed equally to this study.

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Mishra, A., Sabaretnam, M., Chand, G. et al. Quality of Life (QoL) in Patients With Benign Thyroid Goiters (Pre- and Post-Thyroidectomy): A Prospective Study. World J Surg 37, 2322–2329 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-013-2133-3

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