title: Graves' disease: a long-term quality-of-life follow up of patients randomized to treatment with antithyroid drugs, radioiodine, or surgery.
abstract: The effects of treatment modality for Graves' disease (GD) were studied with respect to long-term quality of life and present health status. A total of 179 patients with GD were randomized during the period 1983-1990 for treatment with antithyroid drugs, radioiodine, or surgery. A 36-item Short Form Health Status Survey questionnaire and specific questions for GD were sent to patients 14-21 years after randomization. Present medical records, and clinical and laboratory status were recorded. No major significant differences in quality of life among the three treatments were observed. Compared to a large Swedish reference group, all treatment groups had significantly lower scores for vitality (p < 0.05). The Mental Component Summary was lower for both the young medical, young surgical, and the older medical group (p < 0.05). Radioiodine-treated patients had a lower General Health score. Young medical patients (<35 years) had lower Mental Health scores (p < 0.05). There was also a strong trend, which barely met statistically significance, for older surgical and radioiodine groups for lower Mental Component Summary. GD patients have, compared with a large Swedish reference population, diminished vital and mental quality of life aspects even many years after treatment. The quality-of-life scores were not different among the three treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abraham-Nordling
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Törring
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hamberger
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lundell
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tallstedt
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Calissendorff
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wallin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012008:Recurrence; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D013972:Thyrotropin