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Symptom Report (symptom + report)
Selected AbstractsUnderstanding Atrial Symptom Reports: Objective versus Subjective PredictorsPACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 8 2005SAMUEL F. SEARS Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with a variety of symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, and other signs of heart failure, which in turn impact quality of life (QOL). Implantable cardioverter defibrillators with atrial therapies (ICDs-ATs) have been shown to reduce AF symptoms and improve QOL in select AF samples. Method: This study examined the strength of relationships between objective (device-detected AF events) versus subjective (emotional symptoms) data and AF symptoms (number) reported as part of the Patient Atrial Shock Survey of Acceptance and Tolerance Study (N = 96, 72% men, M age = 65, SD = 12). Depression and anxiety were assessed via the Center for Epidemiological Studies,Depression Scale and the-State Trait Anxiety Inventory. AF disease burden was measured via a number of device-detected AF episodes and the Atrial Tachyarrhythmia Symptom Severity Scale. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that negative emotions accounted for a significant 13.2% of unique variance in AF symptom score (F change (1, 54) = 9.625, P = 0.003). On the other hand, the number of device-detected AF episodes accounted for non-significant 8.2% of unique variance in the AF symptom score (P = 0.167). The full model explained 25.7% of the variance in AF symptom score (F(6, 54) = 3.110, P = 0.011). Specifically, greater number of treated AF episodes (,= 0.251, P = 0.043) and higher levels of negative emotions (,= 0.369, P = 0.003) predicted greater number of reported AF symptoms. Conclusion: Therefore, psychological distress may be a significant confounding factor affecting patient's report of AF symptoms rather than the actual experience of recurrent AF episodes. [source] Daily computer usage correlated with undergraduate students' musculoskeletal symptoms,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2007Che-hsu (Joe) Chang PT Abstract Background A pilot prospective study was performed to examine the relationships between daily computer usage time and musculoskeletal symptoms on undergraduate students. Methods For three separate 1-week study periods distributed over a semester, 27 students reported body part-specific musculoskeletal symptoms three to five times daily. Daily computer usage time for the 24-hr period preceding each symptom report was calculated from computer input device activities measured directly by software loaded on each participant's primary computer. General Estimating Equation models tested the relationships between daily computer usage and symptom reporting. Results Daily computer usage longer than 3 hr was significantly associated with an odds ratio 1.50 (1.01,2.25) of reporting symptoms. Odds of reporting symptoms also increased with quartiles of daily exposure. Conclusions These data suggest a potential dose,response relationship between daily computer usage time and musculoskeletal symptoms. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:481,488, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Subgrouping of fibromyalgia patients on the basis of pressure-pain thresholds and psychological factorsARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2003Thorsten Giesecke Objective Although the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for fibromyalgia are used to identify individuals with both widespread pain and tenderness, individuals who meet these criteria are not a homogeneous group. Patients differ in their accompanying clinical symptoms, as well as in the relative contributions of biologic, psychological, and cognitive factors to their symptom expression. Therefore, it seems useful to identify subsets of fibromyalgia patients on the basis of which of these factors are present. Previous attempts at identifying subsets have been based solely on psychological and cognitive features. In this study, we attempt to identify patient subsets by incorporating these features as well as the degree of hyperalgesia/tenderness, which is a key neurobiologic feature of this illness. Methods Ninety-seven individuals meeting the ACR criteria for fibromyalgia finished the same battery of self-report and evoked-pain testing. Analyzed variables were obtained from several domains, consisting of 1) mood (evaluated by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [for depression] and the State-Trait Personality Inventory [for symptoms of trait-related anxiety]), 2) cognition (by the catastrophizing and control of pain subscales of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire), and 3) hyperalgesia/tenderness (by dolorimetry and random pressure-pain applied at suprathreshold values). Cluster analytic procedures were used to distinguish subgroups of fibromyalgia patients based on these domains. Results Three clusters best fit the data. Multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed that each variable was differentiated by the cluster solution (Wilks' , [degrees of freedom 6,89] = 0.123, P < 0.0001), with univariate ANOVAs also indicating significant differences (all P < 0.05). One subgroup of patients (n = 50) was characterized by moderate mood ratings, moderate levels of catastrophizing and perceived control over pain, and low levels of tenderness. A second subgroup (n = 31) displayed significantly elevated values on the mood assessments, the highest values on the catastrophizing subscale, the lowest values for perceived control over pain, and high levels of tenderness. The third group (n = 16) had normal mood ratings, very low levels of catastrophizing, and the highest level of perceived control over pain, but these subjects showed extreme tenderness on evoked-pain testing. Conclusion These data help support the clinical impression that there are distinct subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia. There appears to be a group of fibromyalgia patients who exhibit extreme tenderness but lack any associated psychological/cognitive factors, an intermediate group who display moderate tenderness and have normal mood, and a group in whom mood and cognitive factors may be significantly influencing the symptom report. [source] Civilian-based posttraumatic stress disorder and physical complaints: Evaluation of depression as a mediatorJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2002Robert Miranda Jr. Abstract This study examined the role of comorbid depression in the somatic complaints of 32 individuals with civilian-based posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while restricting the influence of detectable pathophysiology and additional psychiatric conditions. It was hypothesized that depressive symptomatology would mediate the relationship between PTSD and somatic symptom reporting. Participants were administered structured clinical interviews, a physical examination, and an electrocardiogram. Results of this study supported the hypothesis that depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between PTSD and physical complaints. These results add to a growing body of literature that suggests psychological factors play an influential role in the physical symptom reports of individuals with PTSD. [source] Neuroticism, alexithymia, negative affect and positive affect as predictors of medically unexplained symptoms in primary care1ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 4 2002V. De Gucht Background:, Somatization has been defined in a number of ways. Despite their differences, these definitions have one element in common, namely the presence of somatic symptoms that cannot be explained (adequately) by organic findings. Objective: The primary objectives of the dissertation were to gain a better insight into the concept of somatization, and to study (prospectively) the relationship between neuroticism and alexithymia, two personality traits that have been shown to be related to somatization, the affective state dimensions positive and negative affect (or psychological distress) and medically unexplained symptoms. Method: A selective review was conducted regarding conceptual and methodological issues related to somatization. A total number of 318 patients, presenting to their primary care physician with medically unexplained symptoms, participated in the prospective study. Both at baseline and at 6-month follow-up a number of measures were filled out with respect to somatization, neuroticism, alexithymia, negative and positive affect, anxiety and depression. Results: The concept of somatization was clarified, thereby making use of the distinction between presenting and functional somatization. The personality traits neuroticism and alexithymia were found to have an indirect influence on symptom reports. Both the cross-sectional and follow-up data pointed to the importance of positive and negative affect as determinants of (changes in) number of symptoms (over time). Negative affect, together with the alexithymia dimension measuring difficulty identifying feelings, predicted symptom persistence. Conclusions: The theoretical as well as therapeutic implications of the present paper may give an impetus to new research in the domain of somatization. [source] |