Relationship Between Body Composition and Quality of Life in Young Patients With Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma...

To assess body composition (BC) and quality of life (QoL) in young patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after total thyroidectomy.

Fifty-one patients with DTC were included. Clinical, demographic, and anthropometric data were collected. BC was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), QoL was assessed with the SF-36 questionnaire, and DTC features and thyroid function parameters were analyzed.

Patients with DTC, with a mean age of 35 years and a mean BMI of 28.5 kg/m², showed SF-36 physical and mental component summary (PCS; MCS) scores slightly shorter than 50 (100 being the best) and higher total fat percentage (TFP), fat mass (FM), and fat mass index (FMI). A negative correlation was observed between FMI and FM with general condition (GC) as measured by the SF-36. Higher free T4 and better GC were predictors of lower body fat. Older age, higher levothyroxine dose, and better GC predicted lower FMI. Age, levothyroxine dose, TSH, and higher PCS score were predictors of lower TFP. A higher GC score also predicted lower FM.

Young thyroidectomized patients with DTC presented a compromised QoL and BC profile, with increased FM, TFP, FMI, and BMI. Alterations in BC were associated with worse QoL, suggesting a negative impact of DTC on patient well-being. These findings emphasize the importance of a multidisciplinary management approach that considers both BC and QoL in patients with DTC under levothyroxine therapy, aiming to improve overall outcomes and QoL.