Generic measures of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) are designed for use in a wide range of therapeutic settings whereas condition-specific measures have a much narrower focus. The performance of the latter in general population settings is largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: 1) To demonstrate the differential health status of individuals with a specific condition and hence its health burden; 2) to test the discriminatory power of a condition-specific measure of HrQoL and; 3) to develop normative reference values of QoL-AGHDA. METHODS: QoL-AGHDA is designed for use in patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). It comprises a 25-item questionnaire that elicits yes/no responses that are used to compute an aggregate summary index. A high QoL-AGHDA score denotes poor HrQoL. The survey sample consisted of 1000 individuals randomly selected from the UK Population Preference Panel. Individuals were sent a modified form of the QoL-AGHDA (including EQ-5D). The population data were compared with corresponding data on patients in UK KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database). RESULTS: Completed survey forms were received from 882 individuals (57% female, median age 55, range 18-90). The mean QoL-AGHDA scores in the general population was 6.78 (sd = 5.85, n = 868). The corresponding mean for patients was 14.71 (sd = 5.58, n = 841). There was a high degree of correlation with EQ-5D. Comparison with corresponding data for patients diagnosed and/or treated for GHD indicate significant differential patterns of response, with much higher QoL-AGHDA scores commensurate with lower levels of HrQoL in this group. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports for the first time on the use of QoL-AGHDA in a UK general population setting. It provides important evidence on the performance of this condition-specific measure as well as calibrating normative reference values. Additionally it confirmed the discriminant validity of the measure and demonstrated the health burden of patients with GHD.