Exploring the lived experience of Graves’ Disease and its impact on health-related quality of life

The current thesis aimed to explore the impact of Graves’ Disease using a mixed methods approach. First, the impact of GD on an individual’s Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed through a meta-analysis comparing HRQoL in individuals with Graves’ Disease to healthy subjects. These findings were supplemented by exploring the subjective lived experience of GD through further qualitative scrutiny.

Literature review and meta-analysis

A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was carried out to assess the impact of Graves’ Disease on HRQoL, as assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36), a prominent tool used within clinical and health research. Eight studies were included in a random-effects model of meta-analysis where scores for Graves’ Disease groups were compared to that of healthy subjects, revealing significantly lower scores in the Graves’ Disease group. This indicated a significant impact of Graves’ Disease on the Physical and Mental Components of Health-related quality of life.

Empirical research report

A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was utilised to permit a nuanced and open exploration of the experience of Graves’ Disease prior to, and following diagnosis. Seven women recruited through online Graves’ Disease support platforms took part in interviews, which were analysed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. Two superordinate themes, emerged. The first theme: The oddity of experience, highlighted Graves’ Disease symptoms as a divergence from the ‘norm’ where disparate, unrelated symptoms and conflicting diagnostic narratives disrupted women’s attempts to make sense of what was happening. The second theme: collateral damage captured women’s sense of powerlessness and dread as they grew to understand Graves’ Disease as a chronic, incurable condition, affecting their physical appearance, management of self-image and personal relationships.