Validation and implementation of the Dutch PHPQoL for primary hyperparathyroidism

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Neurosurgery
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) presents with nonspecific neuropsychological symptoms challenging to quantify.
• Parathyroidectomy (PTx) is recommended for asymptomatic PHPT, but its benefits are unclear using generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) tools.
• Disease-specific questionnaires like PHPQoL offer more sensitive symptom assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• Translate and validate the PHPQoL questionnaire for Dutch use.
• Evaluate the effect of PTx on HRQoL in symptomatic and asymptomatic PHPT patients.
• Compare the sensitivity of disease-specific vs. generic HRQoL tools post-PTx.

Main Methods:

• Prospective single-center study of PHPT patients undergoing PTx or conservative treatment.
• HRQoL assessed using PHPQoL, SF-36, and EQ-5D at baseline and 3 months post-treatment.
• Patients classified as asymptomatic if no hypercalcemia-related complaints were present.

Main Results:

• The Dutch PHPQoL showed strong psychometric properties and correlated well with generic HRQoL tools.
• Following PTx, mean PHPQoL scores significantly improved from 52.2 to 65.9 (P < 0.001).
• Asymptomatic patients also showed significant PHPQoL score improvements post-PTx, from 58.3 to 71.7 (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The Dutch PHPQoL is a valid and reliable tool for assessing PHPT.
• PTx leads to significant HRQoL improvements in PHPT patients, including asymptomatic individuals.
• Generic HRQoL instruments may underestimate the benefits of PTx in asymptomatic PHPT patients.