Table 1 |.
Randomized studies showing altered QOL during treatment of subclinical or mild hypothyroidism
| Condition | QOL measure | Type of study | Effect on QOL with levothyroxine compared with placebo | Number of patients (mean age in years) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Younger participants a | |||||
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 48 weeks | Billewicz & Zulewski Symptom Score | Randomized, double-blind trial | Improved symptom scores on levothyroxine | 66 (58) | Meier et al. (2001)92 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 26 weeks | Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, GHQ30 | Randomized, double-blind trial | Worse anxiety on levothyroxine | 40 (53) | Kong et al. (2002)93 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 52 weeks | BDI, GHQ30, Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised | Randomized, double-blind trial | No change | 69 (62) | Jorde et al. (2006)94 |
| Levothyroxine and placebo (given in a random order) for 12 weeks | ThyDQoL, SF-36 | Randomized blinded crossover trial | Tiredness improved on levothyroxine | 100 (54) | Razvi et al. (2007)95 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 12 weeks | WMS | Randomized, double-blind trial | Improved memory on levothyroxine | 60 (34) | Aghili et al. (2012)100 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 6 months | BDI, Zulewski, SF-36 | Randomized, double-blind trial | Marginal benefits on SF-36 | 71 (50) | Reuters et al. (2012)97 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 12 weeks | BDI | Randomized, double-blind trial | Somatic symptoms statistically significantly improved by levothyroxine versus placebo | 60 (34) | Najafi et al. (2015)98 |
| Older participants a | |||||
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 40 weeks | CTQ Composite psychometric memory score | Randomized, double-blind trial | Improved memory score on levothyroxine | 37 (68) | Jaeschke et al. (1996)91 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 52 weeks | Mini-Mental State Examination, cognitive function | Randomized, double-blind trial | No change | 94 (74) | Parle et al. (2010)96 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 52 weeks | ThyPRO | Randomized, double-blind trial | No change | 737 (74) | Stott et al. (2017)101 |
| Levothyroxine versus placebo for 52 weeks | ThyPRO, EQ5D | Randomized, double-blind trial | No change | 105 (84) | Mooijaart et al. (2019)99 |
BDI, Beck’s Depression Inventory; CTQ, Chronic Thyroid Questionnaire; GHQ, General Health Questionnaire; WMS, Wechsler Memory Scale.
a
Younger participants are defined as having a mean age of 50 years; Older participants are defined as having a median age >65 years.