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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Lydia Grixti, Dr Holly FisherORCiD, Dr Petros PerrosORCiD, Dr Anna MitchellORCiD, Dr Earn Gan, Professor Simon PearceORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 the author(s)Background: A substantial proportion of patients taking thyroid hormone replacement for hypothyroidism show persistent symptoms. We sought to explore the prevalence and degree of fatigue in this patient group. Methods: An online survey including the FACIT-F fatigue scale was distributed by two UK patient support organisations, the British Thyroid Foundation (BTF) and The Thyroid Trust (TTT). Overall, 1,334 responses were received, of which 1,251 were complete, unique and from patients with primary hypothyroidism/Hashimoto thyroiditis who reported taking thyroid hormone replacements. Results: Ninety eight percent of respondents were women and the mean duration of treatment was 10.8 years (SD: 9.74). The mean fatigue score on the FACIT-F scale was 20.5 (SD: 10.5), with 89% of respondents fulfilling criteria for abnormal fatigue. Fatigue scores were not significantly different between respondents of different ages, gender, treatment type or treatment duration. FACIT-F scores were positively correlated with self-declared overall health state (Pearson r = 0.576, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Fatigue in treated hypothyroidism is very common, and the FACIT-F scores reported are comparable or worse than those recorded for many other chronic conditions. This study suggests that addressing fatigue in this patient group will be key to improving wellbeing and quality of life.
Author(s): Grixti L, Fisher H, Priestley J, McMullan C, Woollven A, Perros P, Mitchell AL, Gan EH, Pearce SH
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: European Thyroid Journal
Year: 2025
Volume: 14
Issue: 3
Online publication date: 14/05/2025
Acceptance date: 29/04/2025
Date deposited: 02/06/2025
ISSN (print): 2235-0640
ISSN (electronic): 2235-0802
Publisher: BioScientifica Ltd.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1530/ETJ-25-0044
DOI: 10.1530/ETJ-25-0044
Data Access Statement: Data are available on request from the corresponding author
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