Quality of Life Is Worse at 6-10 Years after Radioactive Iodine Treatment of Graves’ Disease as Compared with Antithyroid Drugs or Surgery

source: Clinical Thyroidology

year: 2019

authors: Sun Y. Lee

Background:
Graves’ disease is a common cause of hyperthyroidism and may be associated with a negative impact on patients’ quality of life (QoL). It can be accompanied by extrathyroidal complications such as ophthalmopathy, dermopathy, and acropachy. Usual treatment options include antithyroid drugs (ATDs), radioiodine (RAI), or surgery. Previous studies have reported similar general-health QoL with the three treatment methods, but were limited to shorter-term follow up. The current study was conducted to assess long-term QoL in patients with Graves’ disease who have been treated in a routine clinical setting.

Methods:
A cohort of 2916 patients with a new diagnosis of hyperthyroidism between 2003 and 2005 was established from seven centers in southern Sweden. Patients were treated according to usual clinical practice. From this cohort, 1186 patients with Graves’ disease were recruited for the current study 6 to 10 years after the original diagnosis to assess QoL measures. Those with recurrent Graves’ disease were excluded.