After having your thyroid removed, about 6 out of 100 people end up with low calcium levels in their blood — this is the most common problem right after surgery. Younger people are more likely to have this issue than older people, which might mean their bodies take longer to recover after the surgery.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

40

Community contributions welcome

40

Assessment of the morbidity and complications of total thyroidectomy.

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2002 Apr

This study looked at people who had their thyroid removed and found that about 6 out of 100 developed low calcium afterward — more than any other problem — and younger people were more likely to have it, just like the claim said.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Assessment of the morbidity and complications of total thyroidectomy.

Score: 40

DOI: 10.1001/archotol.128.4.389

Similar Assertions

When doctors remove the entire thyroid gland, doing extra steps like cleaning out nearby lymph nodes or reinserting the parathyroid glands doesn’t seem to make low calcium levels after surgery any more likely.

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0

80%

After having your entire thyroid removed, most people stay in the hospital for about 2.5 days—even if they develop low calcium levels afterward, they don’t usually need to stay longer because doctors can manage it quickly.

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74%