Burden of Illness in Not Adequately Controlled Chronic Hypoparathyroidism: Findings From a 13-Country Patient and Caregiver Survey

Objective: To address knowledge gaps regarding burdens associated with not adequately controlled chronic hypoparathyroidism.; Design: Global patient and caregiver survey.; Study Populations: Patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism not adequately controlled on conventional therapy and their caregivers.; Measurements: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and health status were evaluated using the 36-item Short Form version 2 (SF-36 v2.0) and Five-Level EuroQoL 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-5L) instruments, respectively. Hypoparathyroidism-associated symptoms were assessed by a disease-specific Hypoparathyroidism Symptom Diary and caregiver burden via the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI).; Results: Data were obtained from 398 patients and 207 caregivers. Patients' self-rated hypoparathyroidism-related symptom severity was none (3%), mild (32%), moderate (53%), or severe (12%). Per the Hypoparathyroidism Symptom Diary, patients reported moderate, severe, or very severe symptoms of physical fatigue (73%), muscle cramps (55%), heaviness in limbs (55%), and tingling (51%) over a 7-day recall period. Impacts (rated "somewhat" or "very much") were reported by 84% of patients for ability to exercise, 78% for sleep, 75% for ability to work, and 63% for family relationships. Inverse relationships were observed between patient self-rated overall symptom severity and HRQoL and health status assessment scores-the greater the symptom severity, the lower the SF-36 and EQ-5D-5L scores. Caregiver burden increased with patient self-rated symptom severity: none, 1.7 MCSI; mild, 5.4 MCSI; moderate, 9.5 MCSI; severe, 12.5 MCSI.; Conclusion: Patients with not adequately controlled hypoparathyroidism reported substantial symptoms and impacts. Greater patient symptom severity was associated with decreased patient HRQoL and health status assessments and increased caregiver burden.