Health-related quality of life in benign thyroid diseases assessed by ThyPRO

Benign thyroid diseases are common conditions that often require long-term treatment. In some patients, symptoms persist despite normalization of biochemical parameters, significantly affecting quality of life (QoL). This study evaluated treatment-associated changes in QoL using the thyroid patient reported outcome (ThyPRO) questionnaire and summarized differences in QoL profiles reported across thyroid conditions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched up to April 2024. Data were extracted and synthesized using standardized mean differences.

Twenty-five studies were included. Significant pre-post-treatment improvements in overall QoL and selected symptom domains were observed. In Graves' disease, improvements were observed in hyperthyroid symptoms, anxiety, impaired daily life, and overall QoL. In non-toxic goiter, improvements were observed in goiter symptoms, cosmetic complaints, anxiety, tiredness, and overall QoL. In toxic nodular goiter, significant improvements were observed in hyperthyroid and goiter symptoms and overall QoL, whereas several other domains did not change significantly. In hypothyroidism, significant improvements were observed in selected domains, including tiredness, impaired daily life, mood-related symptoms, and overall QoL. Analyses comparing ThyPRO scores between patient groups showed differences in selected domains; these comparisons were interpreted descriptively.

Treatment was associated with improvements in QoL across the analyzed benign thyroid conditions, varying by disease group. Given the heterogeneity of the included studies and the absence of head-to-head comparisons of treatment efficacy across conditions, these findings should be interpreted descriptively. Disease-specific QoL assessment may help clinicians identify persistent symptom domains requiring attention during follow-up.