Patients in general practice share a common pattern of symptoms that is partly independent of the diagnosis

Abstract

Objective

To describe self-reported symptoms among patients in general practice and to explore the relationships between symptoms experienced by patients and diagnoses given by general practitioners.

Design

Doctor–patient questionnaires focusing on patients’ self-reported symptoms during the past 7 days and the doctors’ diagnoses.

Setting

General practices in urban and suburban areas in Southeast Norway.

Subjects

Forty-seven general practitioners who included 866 patients aged ≥18 years on a random day in practice.

Results

The most frequently reported symptoms were tiredness (46%), lower back pain (43%), neck pain (41%), headache (39%), shoulder pain (36%), and sleep problems (35%). Women had a significantly higher prevalence than men for 16 of 38 symptoms (p < 0.05). The mean number of symptoms was 7.5 (range, 0–32; women, 8.1; men, 6.5, p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that patients who received a social security grant had 59% more symptoms than those who were employed and that people with asthenia and depression/anxiety had 44% and 23% more symptoms, respectively than those with all other diagnoses. The patterns of symptoms reported showed similar patterns across the five most prevalent diagnoses.

Conclusions

Patients in general practice report a number of symptoms and share a common pattern of symptoms, which appear to be partly independent of the diagnoses given. These findings suggest that symptoms are not necessarily an indication of disease.

KEY POINTS

• Patients consulting general practitioners have a high number of self-reported symptoms.

• The most frequent symptoms are tiredness, lower back pain, neck pain, headache, shoulder pain, and sleep problems.

• Patients diagnosed with asthenia and depression/anxiety report the highest number of symptoms.

• Selected diagnoses show similar patterns in symptom distribution.

• Symptoms are not necessarily an indication of disease.

Keywords:

• Self-report
• symptom reporting
• social security grant
• questionnaire
• general practice

Acknowledgements

We thank the GPs and the patients who participated in this research.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interests. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

The study was conducted with support from the Norwegian Research Fund for General Practice.