Quality of life assessment after parathyroidectomy in symptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism using the SF-36 questionnaire

Objective: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a systemic disease which, along with bone and stone disease, also causes several subjective symptoms which impairs the quality of life (QoL). However, NIH guidelines do not include non-specific physical and neuropsychological symptoms as an indication of parathyroidectomy. SF-36 is one of the most commonly used tools for assessing QoL; it measures both physical health (PH) and mental health (MH). Material and Methods: This is a prospective observational study including 50 patients of symptomatic PHPT. Patients were categorized into normocalcemia (8.5-10.4 mg/dL), mild hypercalcemia (10.5-11.9 mg/dL), moderate hypercalcemia (12-13.9 mg/dL), and severe hypercalcemia (>14 mg/dL). QoL was assessed by using SF36 survey both pre-operative and three months after parathyroidectomy. Results: There was an overall improvement in QoL of individual groups both in PH and MH components (p < 0.001). The improvement was more substantial for bodily pain, role physical, vitality and mental health. Although QoL was affected in patients with mild hypercalcemia, it was more affected in patients with severe hypercalcemia. The improvement in MH scores was dependent on the level of pre- operative calcium; however, the improvement in PH scores was independent of pre-operative calcium (p = 0.698). Conclusion: This study showed improvement in all aspects of PH and MH of SF-36 after parathyroidectomy, even in normocalcemics. Despite the fact that current guidelines for the management of PHPT do not include QoL as an indication for parathyroidectomy, we propose that parathyroidectomy should be considered, if patient is fit for surgery.