Somatoform symptoms in family medicine: a descriptive study of incidence and outcome in a family health center in Portugal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5712/rbmfc8(28)652Keywords:
Signs and Symptoms, Somatoform Disorders, Family PracticeAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to estimate the proportion of patients with physical complaints, not attributable to organic causes, presented to family physicians working in an urban Portuguese primary care center and to evaluate the outcome of these clinical cases after 6 months of observation. Methods: For a week, eight family physicians were asked to identify consulting patients whose physical complaints did not seem to have organic causes. These patients were re-evaluated six months later to determine the outcome of their symptoms. Results: The eight physicians conducted 864 appointments during the study period and identified 73 patients (8%) with physical complaints for which no organic explanation was found. These patients were more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, headache, and irritable bowel syndrome. After six months of follow-up, an organic cause was identified in only three of these patients, while 21 out of 73 patients (33%) had persistent unexplained symptoms. Conclusions: Patients with unexplained physical symptoms are frequently encountered in family practice. Most symptons resolve completely and clinicians have a small probability of missing a significant organic diagnosis in these patients.
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