Table 3.
Perceptions of the relative importance of eight potential causes of symptoms of hypothyroidism persisting despite LT4 treatment returning serum TSH to the reference interval
| Possible cause | Sum of “Strongly agree” + “Agree” (n) | Sum of top 3 ranks (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychosocial factors | 134 | 166 |
| Comorbidities | 123 | 130 |
| Patient unrealistic expectation | 113 | 129 |
| Burden of chronic disease | 93 | 62 |
| Chronic fatigue syndrome | 69 | 61 |
| Inability of levothyroxine to restore normal physiology | 39 | 58 |
| Presence of underlying inflammation due to autoimmunity | 38 | 44 |
| Burden of having to take medication | 27 | 40 |