A strong association between non-musculoskeletal symptoms and musculoskeletal pain symptoms: results from a population study

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Dag Bruusgaard⁴  Jørund Straand³  Yusman Kamaleri¹  Ingvild Dalen³  Camilla Ihlebaek²  Bård Natvig⁵  Mona Kjeldsberg³  Hedda Tschudi-Madsen³ 

[1] Department of Rare Diseases and Disabilities, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo, Norway;Uni Health, Norway;Department of General Practice, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PO BOX 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway;Department of Community Health, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway;National Resource Centre for Rehabilitation in Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway

关键词: Medically unexplained symptoms;    Musculoskeletal pain;    General population;    Cross-sectional;    Epidemiology;   

Others  :  1150946
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2474-12-285

 received in 2011-07-05, accepted in 2011-12-18,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Background

There is a lack of knowledge about the pattern of symptom reporting in the general population as most research focuses on specific diseases or symptoms. The number of musculoskeletal pain sites is a strong predictor for disability pensioning and, hence, is considered to be an important dimension in symptom reporting. The simple method of counting symptoms might also be applicable to non-musculoskeletal symptoms, rendering further dimensions in describing individual and public health. In a general population, we aimed to explore the association between self-reported non-musculoskeletal symptoms and the number of pain sites.

Methods

With a cross-sectional design, the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire and the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory were used to record pain at ten different body sites and 13 non-musculoskeletal symptoms, respectively, among seven age groups in Ullensaker, Norway (n = 3,227).

Results

Results showed a strong, almost linear relationship between the number of non-musculoskeletal symptoms and the number of pain sites (r = 0.55). The number and type of non-musculoskeletal symptoms had an almost equal explanatory power in the number of pain sites reported (27.1% vs. 28.2%).

Conclusion

The linear association between the number of non-musculoskeletal and musculoskeletal symptoms might indicate that the symptoms share common characteristics and even common underlying causal factors. The total burden of symptoms as determined by the number of symptoms reported might be an interesting generic indicator of health and well-being, as well as present and future functioning. Research on symptom reporting might also be an alternative pathway to describe and, possibly, understand the medically unexplained multisymptom conditions.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 Tschudi-Madsen et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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