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Original Article
Online Published: 17 Oct 2026
 


Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia

Jalal Abu Halimah, Mohammad Jareebi, Zakaria Yahya Shubayli, Mohammed Yahya Shubayli, Sarah Bahakeem, Khalid Bakri, Ahmed Sabi, Abdulaziz Zaylaee, Zuhair Almunawwar, Eyad Omar, Ziyad Ibrahim Alamer, Abdullah Khudier, Abdulaziz Aqdi, Rayim Oraybi, Othman Iskander.


Abstract
Objective:
This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adults with thyroid disorders in southern Saudi Arabia and identified modifiable lifestyle factors asso-ciated with better outcomes.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey of 1,250 Saudi adults (≥18 years) was conducted in May 2024. Participants completed validated instruments assessing sociodemographic characteristics, physician-diagnosed thyroid conditions (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer), anthropometric measurements, lifestyle behaviors, and HRQoL using the Arabic WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF).
Results:
Of 1,250 participants (mean age 34 ± 13 years; 44% female), 120 (9.6%) reported diagnosed thyroid disorders. Compared to unaffected individuals, those with thyroid conditions demonstrated significantly lower mean QoL scores across all domains, with the largest def-icit in social relationships (54.6 ± 23.1 vs. 67.8 ± 21.7, p < 0.001). After multivariable ad-justment, hyperthyroidism remained independently associated with reduced psychological health (β = −8.14, 95% CI: −15.72 to −0.56, p = 0.035), while any thyroid disorder predicted poorer social functioning (β = −13.15, 95% CI: −25.23 to −1.07, p = 0.033). Among lifestyle factors, regular physical activity showed the strongest positive associations with all QoL domains (β = 4.02 to 5.47, all p < 0.001), whereas elevated BMI demonstrated consistent negative associations, particularly with psychological well-being (β = −0.31, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Thyroid disorders substantially impair patient-reported quality of life, with psychological and social domains most affected. The strong associations between physical activity and superior QoL across all domains suggested potential therapeutic targets beyond traditional pharmacological management.

Key words: Quality of life, thyroid disorders, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, WHOQOL-BREF, Saudi Arabia, chronic disease management


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Halimah JA, Jareebi M, Shubayli ZY, Shubayli MY, Bahakeem S, Bakri K, Sabi A, Zaylaee A, Almunawwar Z, Omar E, Alamer ZI, Khudier A, Aqdi A, Oraybi R, Iskander O. Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. IJMDC. Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491

Web Style

Halimah JA, Jareebi M, Shubayli ZY, Shubayli MY, Bahakeem S, Bakri K, Sabi A, Zaylaee A, Almunawwar Z, Omar E, Alamer ZI, Khudier A, Aqdi A, Oraybi R, Iskander O. Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=332860 [Access: October 17, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Halimah JA, Jareebi M, Shubayli ZY, Shubayli MY, Bahakeem S, Bakri K, Sabi A, Zaylaee A, Almunawwar Z, Omar E, Alamer ZI, Khudier A, Aqdi A, Oraybi R, Iskander O. Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. IJMDC. Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Halimah JA, Jareebi M, Shubayli ZY, Shubayli MY, Bahakeem S, Bakri K, Sabi A, Zaylaee A, Almunawwar Z, Omar E, Alamer ZI, Khudier A, Aqdi A, Oraybi R, Iskander O. Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. IJMDC, [cited October 17, 2026]; Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491


Harvard Style

Halimah, J. A., Jareebi, . M., Shubayli, . Z. Y., Shubayli, . M. Y., Bahakeem, . S., Bakri, . K., Sabi, . A., Zaylaee, . A., Almunawwar, . Z., Omar, . E., Alamer, . Z. I., Khudier, . A., Aqdi, . A., Oraybi, . R. & Iskander, . O. (2026) Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. IJMDC, Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491


Turabian Style

Halimah, Jalal Abu, Mohammad Jareebi, Zakaria Yahya Shubayli, Mohammed Yahya Shubayli, Sarah Bahakeem, Khalid Bakri, Ahmed Sabi, Abdulaziz Zaylaee, Zuhair Almunawwar, Eyad Omar, Ziyad Ibrahim Alamer, Abdullah Khudier, Abdulaziz Aqdi, Rayim Oraybi, and Othman Iskander. 2026. Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491


Chicago Style

Halimah, Jalal Abu, Mohammad Jareebi, Zakaria Yahya Shubayli, Mohammed Yahya Shubayli, Sarah Bahakeem, Khalid Bakri, Ahmed Sabi, Abdulaziz Zaylaee, Zuhair Almunawwar, Eyad Omar, Ziyad Ibrahim Alamer, Abdullah Khudier, Abdulaziz Aqdi, Rayim Oraybi, and Othman Iskander. "Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Halimah, Jalal Abu, Mohammad Jareebi, Zakaria Yahya Shubayli, Mohammed Yahya Shubayli, Sarah Bahakeem, Khalid Bakri, Ahmed Sabi, Abdulaziz Zaylaee, Zuhair Almunawwar, Eyad Omar, Ziyad Ibrahim Alamer, Abdullah Khudier, Abdulaziz Aqdi, Rayim Oraybi, and Othman Iskander. "Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. Web. 17 Oct 2026 doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Halimah, J. A., Jareebi, . M., Shubayli, . Z. Y., Shubayli, . M. Y., Bahakeem, . S., Bakri, . K., Sabi, . A., Zaylaee, . A., Almunawwar, . Z., Omar, . E., Alamer, . Z. I., Khudier, . A., Aqdi, . A., Oraybi, . R. & Iskander, . O. (2026) Beyond Hormones: thyroid disorders and the hidden burden on quality of life in Southern Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, Online First: 17 Oct, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1787916491




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