Medically unexplained symptoms and syndromes Flashcards
Define medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)
Symptoms for which no medical diagnosis or explanation can be found are often called
Symptoms for which no medical diagnosis or explanation can be found are often called
This is known as…?
Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)
Define syndrome
When symptoms occur together regularly in clusters to form a recognisable illness
When symptoms occur together regularly in clusters to form a recognisable illness
This is known as…?
Syndrome
Name 5 syndromes classed as medically unexplained
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Fibromyalgia (chronic widespread pain)
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Repetitive strain injury
- Chronic pelvic pain
What % of people in the general population experience physical medically unexplained symptoms?
80-90% per week
What is the distribution of fatigue in the community?
Normal distribution
Fatigue is normally distributed in the community
What does this mean?
Most people have some fatigue, a few people have a lot or a little
True or False?
Fatigue is a common experience in the communtity
True
What is the average fatigue score in a study by Pawlikowska et al (1994) on 15,000 adults
12
What % of people who go into primary care experience medically unexplained symptoms?
19-25%
What % of people who go into secondary care (hospital outpatient) experience medically unexplained symptoms?
30-70%, average 53%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of dental cases had no medical diagnosis?
Male = 50%
Women = 33%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of chest cases had no medical diagnosis?
Male = 26%
Women = 53%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of rheumatology cases had no medical diagnosis?
Male = 31%
Women = 52%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of cardiology cases had no medical diagnosis?
Male = 42%
Women = 63%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of gastroenterology cases had no medical diagnosis?
Male = 50%
Women = 63%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of neurology cases had no medical diagnosis?
Male = 55%
Women = 66%
After consecutive referrals to 7 clinics and 2 London hospitals, what % of gynaecology cases had no medical diagnosis?
66%
For many, Medically Unexplained Symptoms are fleeting and self- limiting
What does this mean?
These symptoms often resolve themselves
Describe the study by Koch et al (2009) on primary care patients and unexplained symptoms
Dutch primary care study (n=254) of patients with unexplained fatigue, abdominal or musculoskeletal complaints.
Dutch primary care study (n=254) of patients with unexplained fatigue, abdominal or musculoskeletal complaints.
Describe the results of this study
43% still had unexplained symptoms 1 year later
What % of Dutch primary care study of patients with unexplained fatigue, abdominal or musculoskeletal complaints. still had unexplained symptoms 1 year later
43%
What is the main problem of Medically Unexplained Symptoms?
MUS violates the biomedical model which conflates disease and illness
Violates the biomedical model which conflates disease and illness
This is known as…?
Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Describe the biomedical model which conflates disease and illness
List 5 points
- Disease
- Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Intervention
- Cure
Symptoms or illness without disease
This is known as…?
Medically Unexplained Symptoms
What is the medical/psychiatric response to Medically Unexplained Symptoms?
List 4 points
- MUS is due to psychological difficulty
- MUS is due to somatic distress and symptoms unaccounted for by pathological findings
- MUS is somatic distress and symptoms attributed to physical illness (somatized manifestations to a physical illness)
- MUS is belief that the cause of these experiences is because there is a physical illness going on
Wy is somatization an unsatisfactory construct?
List 3 reasons
- Patients hate it as they feel that it delegitimizes their symptoms
- What does it mean for “psychological distress” to “come out” as bodily symptoms?
- There is scant evidence that having lots of bodily symptoms is related to denying emotional problems – in fact the opposite is true
What are Medically Unexplained Symptoms often accompanied by?
Psychological symptoms or distress
The more Medically Unexplained Symptoms, the ____ distress you have
a. Less
b. More
b. More
Medically Unexplained Symptoms expresses distress in the form of …?
Physical illness
True or False?
“Somatization” is unsatisfactory
True
True or False?
“Medically unexplained” is satisfactory
False
“Medically unexplained” is unsatisfactory
Why is “Medically unexplained” unsatisfactory?
List 4 reasons
- Diagnosis by exclusion
- Continued concern ‘have we missed something?’
- indicates failure of medical system
- Patients can feel dismissed because they are told that nothing is the matter
True or False?
Medically Unexplained Symptoms are real, they are not imaginary or made up
True
Alternative approaches try to explain the experience of Medically Unexplained Symptoms in terms of interacting _____, _____ and (to a lesser extent) _____ factors, and help people to manage them
- Biological
- Psychological
- Social
What are the perceptual factors of MUS (perceptions of bodily sensations)?
List 3 points
- Noticing sensations (by attending to the sensation)
- Attending to sensations
- Competition of cues
Describe the study by Pennebaker & Lightner (1980) on competition of cues
2 groups
- G1: External focus group (listened to music before reporting their fatigue levels)
- G2: Internal focus group (listened to their own breathing before reporting their fatigue levels)
Describe the results of the study by Pennebaker & Lightner (1980) on competition of cues
Internal focus group (listened to their own breathing before reporting their fatigue levels) reported feeling more fatigue, pain and effortful
Internal focus group (listened to their own breathing before reporting their fatigue levels) reported feeling more fatigue, pain and effortful
Why?
Because they attend to their internal sensations
How can we interpret sensations as symptoms?
List 4 ways
- Context important
- Beliefs and personal models of illness, illness prototypes
- May use heuristics – e.g. stress heuristic, age heuristic
- Interpretations affected by emotional factors
How can we use stress heuristics to interpret sensations as symptoms?
During times of stress you are more likely to attribute symptoms due to stress rather than other influences
Who proposed the attributional style of explaining MUS (e.g. Tiredness)?
Kirmayer & Robbins (1991)
What are the 3 types of attribution?
- Normalising
- Psychologising
- Somatising
What types of attribution does this apply to?
“I’m stressed and wound up”
a. Normalising
b. Psychologising
c. Somatising
b. Psychologising
What types of attribution does this apply to?
“The room is too hot
I was out late last night”
a. Normalising
b. Psychologising
c. Somatising
a. Normalising
What types of attribution does this apply to?
“Maybe I’m coming down with something?”
a. Normalising
b. Psychologising
c. Somatising
c. Somatising
What types of attribution does this behaviour apply to?
The room is too hot
I was out late last night
- open window
- have an early night
a. Normalising
b. Psychologising
c. Somatising
a. Normalising
What types of attribution does this behaviour apply to?
Maybe I’m coming down with something?
- See a doctor or treat symptoms
- Feeling ill, with a virus
a. Normalising
b. Psychologising
c. Somatising
c. Somatising
What types of attribution does this behaviour apply to?
I’m stressed and wound up
- Emotion regulation or problem focused coping
- Feeling upset, having a lot on your plate
a. Normalising
b. Psychologising
c. Somatising
b. Psychologising
List 5 ways out mood can affect our symptoms
- Fear of being ill
- Physical sensations of anxiety
- Physical sensations of depression
- Many patients with unexplained symptoms are depressed or anxious
- In the community, emotion is positively correlated with physical symptoms