Incidence and Risk Factors for Post-Thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia: A National Study from Saudi Arabia

Authors

• Saad M. Alqahtani, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi ArabiaFollow
• Bader E. Alsharari, Department of Surgery, King Salman Armed Forces Hospital Northwestern Region, Tabuk 71411, Saudi ArabiaFollow
• Abdulaziz H. Al-shahrani, Department of Surgery, King Salman Armed Forces Hospital Northwestern Region, Tabuk 71411, Saudi ArabiaFollow
• Shehata F. Shehata, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia AND Biostatistics Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, EgyptFollow
• Moneer E. Almadani, Department of Clinical Medicine – Surgery Unit, College of Medicine, Almaarefah University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFollow
• Yousef S. Alalawi, Department of Surgery, King Salman Armed Forces Hospital Northwestern Region, Tabuk 71411, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia is the leading cause of post-thyroidectomy hospitalization, adversely affecting patient quality of life. The current study sought to determine the incidence of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia, identify risk factors and their clinical significance, and provide an overview of the incidence in different Saudi Arabian cities. Methods: This retrospective analysis included all patients who underwent thyroidectomies at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital Northwestern Region, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2021 and had available pre- and post-operative calcium levels and clinical, surgical, and pathological data. Various risk factors were evaluated using binary logistic regression to determine their impact on the development of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Results: A total of 153 patients were enrolled, and most (n = 128, 83.7%) were women; 88 patients (57.5%) received a malignant diagnosis. The overall incidence of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia was 70.6%. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, female gender (adjusted odds ratio [OR_A] = 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–7.6), the presence of diabetes mellitus (OR_A = 4.9; 95% CI, 1.2–20.5), and the failure to identify the parathyroid glands in the operative report (OR_A = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2–6.7) significantly correlated with a higher risk of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Redo surgery was the sole factor significantly correlated with permanent hypocalcemia (p = 0.048). Conclusion: Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia is a serious condition that should be evaluated at each center to provide patients with accurate risk assessments prior to surgery. Further studies are required to overcome this surgically challenging condition.

Article Type

Original Study

First Page

445

Last Page

452

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Alqahtani, Saad M.; Alsharari, Bader E.; Al-shahrani, Abdulaziz H.; Shehata, Shehata F.; Almadani, Moneer E.; and Alalawi, Yousef S. (2026) "Incidence and Risk Factors for Post-Thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia: A National Study from Saudi Arabia," Saudi Medical Journal: Vol. 47: Iss. 3, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15537/1658-3175.1041