Abstract
BackgroundGraves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It results in accelerated tissue metabolism with multi-organ involvement ranging from cardiovascular to neuropsychological function. This results in a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) of the individual patient. We aim to evaluate the psychometric properties of ThyPRO, a Thyroid-related Patient Reported Outcome questionnaire, and validate its use in our multi-ethnic Asian patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism.MethodsForty-seven consecutive Graves’ hyperthyroidism patients answered the ThyPRO questionnaire at baseline and at 4 months after treatment initiation. Data were recorded for thyroid related symptoms and signs, thyroid function tests and thyroid volume. We analyzed the internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha, construct validity by evaluating relationship between clinical variables and ThyPRO scales, ceiling and floor effects, and responsiveness of ThyPRO to treatment based on Cohen’s effect size.ResultsCorrelations between individual scale scores and free thyroxine concentrations were moderate and statistically significant: 0.21–0.64 (p < 0.05). There was high internal consistency between the items in this instrument, Cronbach’s alpha > 0.7 for all scales. ThyPRO was responsive to the changes in QOL after treatment (Effect Size: 0.20–0.77) in 9 of the 14 scales including the hyperthyroid symptoms and psychosocial scales (Tiredness, Cognitive complaints, Anxiety, Emotional susceptibility, Impact on Social, Daily and Sex life).ConclusionThis study provides evidence that ThyPRO has satisfactory measurement properties in hyperthyroid Graves’ disease patients in Singapore population with the potential to complement clinical care.
Highlights
Hyperthyroidism is a prevalent clinical condition with a reported global prevalence of about 1% [1]
Main point of my study In this study, we evaluate the accuracy of a thyroidspecific quality of life questionnaire Thyroid specific patient reported outcome (ThyPRO) in measuring the health aspect of Graves’ hyperthyroidism in Singapore patients and correlate with their thyroid blood tests, thyroid volume and complaints
This study was conducted in accordance with the declarations of Helsinki and approval was obtained from the institutional review board (IRB) [National Healthcare Group Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB) Reference No 2012/ 01098]
Summary
Hyperthyroidism is a prevalent clinical condition with a reported global prevalence of about 1% [1]. Despite being cognizant of the negative influence of the hyperthyroid status on various aspects of living, clinicians seldom have the time to probe the impact of hyperthyroidism on the individual’s quality of life (QOL) These reasons underscores the need to optimise the health-related QOL of patients with Graves’ diseases besides focusing on their clinical signs and biochemical tests [22, 23]. Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism It results in accelerated tissue metabolism with multi-organ involvement ranging from cardiovascular to neuropsychological function. This results in a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) of the individual patient. We aim to evaluate the psychometric properties of ThyPRO, a Thyroid-related Patient Reported Outcome questionnaire, and validate its use in our multiethnic Asian patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism
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