Health-Related Quality of Life in Levothyroxine-Treated Hypothyroid Women and Women without Hypothyroidism: A Case–Control Study

The use of levothyroxine is not always related to the elimination of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. The aim of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of a group of hypothyroid women under levothyroxine treatment with that of a group of non-hypothyroid women. Methodology...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Benjamín Romero-Gómez, Paula Guerrero-Alonso, Juan Manuel Carmona-Torres, Diana P. Pozuelo-Carrascosa, José Alberto Laredo-Aguilera, Ana Isabel Cobo-Cuenca
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:Journal of Clinical Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/12/3864
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Summary:The use of levothyroxine is not always related to the elimination of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. The aim of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of a group of hypothyroid women under levothyroxine treatment with that of a group of non-hypothyroid women. Methodology: A case–control study was performed. We used convenience sampling. The case group consisted of 152 levothyroxine-treated hypothyroid women; the control group consisted of 238 women without hypothyroidism disorders. All of the participants were euthyroid according to the clinical practice guidelines. We used as instruments the Short Form-12 questionnaire (SF-12v1) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Hypothyroid women scored significantly lower in HRQOL in SF-12v1 mental and physical components than the control group (mental component summary: 41.23 ± 12.12 vs. 46.45 ± 10.22, <i>p <</i> 0.001; physical component summary: 49.64 ± 10.16 vs. 54.75 ± 5.76, <i>p <</i> 0.001). body mass index (BMI) and age showed an influence on the physical component (<i>p <</i> 0.001 in both variables). Adjusted for age and BMI, hypothyroidism was still related to worse scores (<i>p <</i> 0.001). Conclusion: Despite being euthyroid, women with hypothyroidism showed a poorer quality of life than women without hypothyroidism. Health professionals need to assess the HRQOL of women with hypothyroidism. Further research on HRQOL and hypothyroidism is needed.
ISSN:2077-0383