title: Surgeons and patients disagree on the potential consequences from hypoparathyroidism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that surgeons and their patients underestimate the potential negative impact that permanent hypoparathyroidism has on quality of life (QOL).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a modified SF-36 assessment tool to compare the perceptions of patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism to the perceptions of control subjects who were given a standardized preoperative statement about the complications of hypoparathyroidism. We also elicited the perceptions of endocrine surgeons regarding the QOL impacts of hypoparathyroidism using a subset of questions from the modified SF-36.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 340 postsurgical patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism, 200 controls, and 102 surgeons participated in the study. Both surgeons and controls underestimated the negative impact of hypoparathyroidism on QOL when compared to patients living with permanent hypoparathyroidism. Forty-seven percent of hypoparathyroid patients believed that their health was "much worse" than before surgery, compared with 16% of surgeons (P<.001) and 7% of controls (P<.001). Postoperative hypoparathyroid patients also reported far more negative effects on QOL, from interference with social activities, paresthesias, muscle cramping, and medications than were anticipated by surgeons or controls (P<.05 for all comparisons). In each of the 8 dimensions of QOL, including physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, role limitations due to emotional problems, energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, social functioning, pain, and general health, hypoparathyroid patients reported a significantly lower mean score compared to the control group (P<.001 for all comparisons).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of postoperative hypoparathyroidism on patient QOL is consistently and significantly underestimated by surgeons and subjects receiving surgical consultation.
authors: Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Nancy L
authors: NL
authors: Cho
authors: Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.
authors: Jacob
authors: J
authors: Moalem
authors: Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Lily
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Carrie C
authors: CC
authors: Lubitz
authors: Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Francis D
authors: FD
authors: Moore
authors: Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Daniel T
authors: DT
authors: Ruan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D007011:Hypoparathyroidism / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D066231:Surgeons; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*