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2003 Thyroid Survey Results -- Part 3 |
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First Patient Quality-of-Life Survey of Nearly 1000 Patients Published
By Mary J. Shomon
From late 2001 to 2002, a survey was conducted with readers
of Mary Shomon’s various thyroid disease websites. Final results will be
published later in 2003, but preliminary results, based on a tally of 907
respondents, are being published here, to bring increased visibility to thyroid
issues to help highlight the January 2003 commemoration of Thyroid Awareness
Month.
This is the first large-scale quality of life survey of
thyroid patients, and the first to look at critical patient concerns such as
unrelieved symptoms, weight problems, attitudes toward patient organizations,
smoking behavior, and effective treatments and solutions.
A summary of the survey findings is located at:
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aasurveysumm.htm
Survey Page 1, 2, 3, 4
The tally of results of the survey are as follows:
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If you are overweight, how many pounds over a healthy/normal weight are you at present? |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
759 |
|
83.7% |
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30 to 50 pounds |
189 |
24.9% |
20.8% |
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10 to 20 pounds |
150 |
19.8% |
16.5% |
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50 to 75 pounds |
138 |
18.2% |
15.2% |
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20 to 30 pounds |
103 |
13.6% |
11.4% |
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75 to 100 pounds |
76 |
10.0% |
8.4% |
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5 to 10 pounds |
62 |
8.2% |
6.8% |
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100 to 150 pounds |
40 |
5.3% |
4.4% |
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More than 150 pounds |
1 |
0.1% |
0.1% |
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What types of approaches have you found helpful or successful to your thyroid problem? |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
645 |
|
71.1% |
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Exercise |
520 |
80.62% |
57.3% |
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Diet, eating/avoiding specific foods |
388 |
60.16% |
42.8% |
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Vitamins and supplements |
322 |
49.92% |
35.5% |
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Herbal products, herbs |
210 |
32.56% |
23.2% |
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Prayer, religion, spirituality |
125 |
19.38% |
13.8% |
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Massage, Trigger Point Therapy |
99 |
15.35% |
10.9% |
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Support groups, peer support |
89 |
13.80% |
9.8% |
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Chiropractic |
76 |
11.78% |
8.4% |
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Meditation, visualization |
75 |
11.63% |
8.3% |
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Yoga |
67 |
10.39% |
7.4% |
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Counseling, therapy |
60 |
9.30% |
6.6% |
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Other |
60 |
9.30% |
6.6% |
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Tai Chi |
34 |
5.27% |
3.7% |
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Traditional Chinese medicine |
22 |
3.41% |
2.4% |
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Reiki |
17 |
2.64% |
1.9% |
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Accupuncture |
12 |
1.86% |
1.3% |
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NAET |
3 |
0.47% |
0.3% |
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Ayurvedic medicine |
2 |
0.31% |
0.2% |
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Biofeedback |
2 |
0.31% |
0.2% |
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If you have managed to successfully lose weight after being hypothyroid, what approach did you use? (select all that apply) |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
334 |
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36.8% |
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Exercise program, self-directed |
177 |
53.0% |
19.5% |
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Low calorie diet (general) |
132 |
39.5% |
14.6% |
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Low fat diet (general) |
89 |
26.6% |
9.8% |
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Weight Watchers |
89 |
26.6% |
9.8% |
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Low glycemic/low sugar diet |
80 |
24.0% |
8.8% |
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Other |
54 |
16.2% |
6.0% |
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Atkins Diet |
40 |
12.0% |
4.4% |
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A physician-overseen program |
12 |
3.6% |
1.3% |
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The Zone |
9 |
2.7% |
1.0% |
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Sugar Busters diet |
7 |
2.1% |
0.8% |
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Larrian Gillespie (Goddess/Menopause/Gladiator Diet) |
7 |
2.1% |
0.8% |
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Carbo Addicts Diet |
6 |
1.8% |
0.7% |
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Other group program in person |
3 |
0.9% |
0.3% |
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Body for Life |
3 |
0.9% |
0.3% |
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Online group, i.e., Ediets, Diets.com, |
3 |
0.9% |
0.3% |
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Suzanne Somers |
3 |
0.9% |
0.3% |
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LA Weight Loss |
2 |
0.6% |
0.2% |
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Jenny Craig |
1 |
0.3% |
0.1% |
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I currently have or in the past have been diagnosed with the following condition(s) (please check all that apply) |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
525 |
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57.9% |
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Allergies |
425 |
81.0% |
46.9% |
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Depression |
332 |
63.2% |
36.6% |
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Chronic Sinusitis |
210 |
40.0% |
23.2% |
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Anemia |
177 |
33.7% |
19.5% |
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
157 |
29.9% |
17.3% |
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Asthma |
144 |
27.4% |
15.9% |
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Endometriosis |
123 |
23.4% |
13.6% |
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Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome (MVPS) (heart murmur, |
116 |
22.1% |
12.8% |
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Fibromyalgia |
105 |
20.0% |
11.6% |
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Hormonal Deficiencies |
98 |
18.7% |
10.8% |
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Mononucleosis |
86 |
16.4% |
9.5% |
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Chronic Yeast / Candidiasis |
79 |
15.0% |
8.7% |
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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) |
77 |
14.7% |
8.5% |
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Infertility |
66 |
12.6% |
7.3% |
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome |
65 |
12.4% |
7.2% |
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Adrenal problems |
48 |
9.1% |
5.3% |
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Plantar's Fascitis |
39 |
7.4% |
4.3% |
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Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) |
34 |
6.5% |
3.7% |
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Pituitary problems |
14 |
2.7% |
1.5% |
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Hepatitis |
12 |
2.3% |
1.3% |
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Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome |
9 |
1.7% |
1.0% |
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Hemachromatosis |
1 |
0.2% |
0.1% |
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Autoimmune Diseases |
93 |
17.7% |
10.3% |
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Hashimoto's |
15 |
2.9% |
1.7% |
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Diabetes |
9 |
1.7% |
1.0% |
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Rheumatoid Arthritis |
6 |
1.1% |
0.7% |
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Lupus |
5 |
1.0% |
0.6% |
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Sjogren's |
4 |
0.8% |
0.4% |
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Raynaud's |
4 |
0.8% |
0.4% |
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Eczema |
9 |
1.7% |
1.0% |
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Pernicious anemia |
9 |
1.7% |
1.0% |
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Crohn's |
5 |
1.0% |
0.6% |
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Psoriasis |
7 |
1.3% |
0.8% |
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Undisclosed autoimmune conditions |
7 |
1.3% |
0.8% |
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Hypoglycemia |
3 |
0.6% |
0.3% |
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Multiple Sclerosis |
2 |
0.4% |
0.2% |
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Vitiligo |
2 |
0.4% |
0.2% |
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Diverticulitis |
2 |
0.4% |
0.2% |
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Turner's Syndrome |
1 |
0.2% |
0.1% |
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Sweet's Syndrome |
1 |
0.2% |
0.1% |
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RSD, Med-related Cushing's Syndrome |
1 |
0.2% |
0.1% |
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Drug Treatments |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
31 |
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3.4% |
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I have been self-treating with iodine, kelp, bladderwrack, and/or bugleweed |
18 |
58.1% |
2.0% |
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I have been treated with lithium, amiodarone (Cordarone) or iodine in the past, or am currently being treated with these drugs |
13 |
41.9% |
1.4% |
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Smoking Information |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
288 |
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31.8% |
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I was diagnosed after stopping smoking |
100 |
34.7% |
11.0% |
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I am currently a smoker |
79 |
27.4% |
8.7% |
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I was a heavy smoker in the past |
70 |
24.3% |
7.7% |
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I've recently quit smoking |
39 |
13.5% |
4.3% |
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How long after stopping where you diagnosed? |
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1 year |
22 |
22.0% |
2.4% |
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6 months |
20 |
20.0% |
2.2% |
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9-10 years |
17 |
17.0% |
1.9% |
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1-5 months |
11 |
11.0% |
1.2% |
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6-8 year |
11 |
11.0% |
1.2% |
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10-15 years |
10 |
10.0% |
1.1% |
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9 months |
8 |
8.0% |
0.9% |
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20+ years |
8 |
8.0% |
0.9% |
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3-5 years |
6 |
6.0% |
0.7% |
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16-19 years |
5 |
5.0% |
0.6% |
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2 years |
4 |
4.0% |
0.4% |
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122 |
1.22 |
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Radiation or Radium Treatments |
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Total Number of Responses / Percentage of All 907 Respondents |
36 |
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4.0% |
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I have had numerous xray treatments (not dental or diagnostic |
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