The DOI matches its Crossref record; 22 of the 22 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Prevalence of Symptoms in Medical Outpatients and the Adequacy of Therapy
Abstract
Common symptoms account for substantial patient disability and health services utilization. To determine the prevalence of 15 symptoms and the adequacy of therapy, 500 medical outpatients were surveyed. The 410 respondents indicated which symptoms were "major problems" and what therapy, if any, had been helpful. Each symptom was present in at least 10% of patients, with the most prevalent symptoms being fatigue (33%) and back pain (32%). Patients were clustered into three groups: (1) 140 were asymptomatic or monosymptomatic, (2) 135 reported 2 or 3 symptoms, and (3) 135 had 4 or more symptoms. The majority (77%) of these symptoms had been previously reported to a physician. Whereas 80% of patients with pain syndromes and gastrointestinal complaints had obtained some therapeutic benefit, only 39% of the individuals with fatigue, dyspnea, dizziness, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety reported any relief. Better therapy is needed for these common outpatient complaints.
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In the citing paper
“Kroenke et al. [4] found further that these complaints are chronic.”
From Treatment of somatization in primary care (1997) · cites this paper as [4]
In the citing paper
“Thus, in the absence of treatment, complaints of somatization, anxiety, and depression tend to remain fairly stable over time in our study sample, consistent with Kroenke et al.'s findings [4].”
From Treatment of somatization in primary care (1997) · cites this paper as [4]
In the citing paper
“Kroenke et al. [4] suggest that this group of patients is poorly treated in primary care, related to the perceived unavailability of effective treatment options.”
From Treatment of somatization in primary care (1997) · cites this paper as [4]
In the citing paper
“Unexplained syncope, dizziness, and palpitations are among the most common reasons that patients present to internists and cardiologists. 1, 2”
In the citing paper
“where currently these conditions account for up to one-fifth of all referrals) [30], [31], [32], [33]”
From Multi-centre Randomised Controlled Trial of a Smartphone-based Event Recorder Alongside Standard Care Versus Standard Care for Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Palpitations and Pre-syncope: The IPED (Investigation of Palpitations in the ED) study (2019) · cites this paper as [32]
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Citations
Cites
The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): A self-report symptom inventory
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Verbrugge, L. M. (1985) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2136750 · Cited by 1,245
Common symptoms in ambulatory care: incidence, evaluation, therapy, and outcome
Kroenke, K., & Mangelsdorff, A. D. (1989) · The American Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1016/0002-9343(89)90293-3 · Cited by 947
Culture and Symptoms--An Analysis of Patient's Presenting Complaints
Zola, I. K. (1966) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2091854 · Cited by 766
Chronic fatigue in primary care. Prevalence, patient characteristics, and outcome
Kroenke, K. (1988) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.260.7.929 · Cited by 516
Social Psychologic Factors Affecting the Presentation of Bodily Complaints
Mechanic, D. (1972) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm197205252862105 · Cited by 468
The Relevance of Social Science for Medicine
(1981) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-009-8379-3 · Cited by 420
Some preliminary findings on physical complaints from a prospective study of 1,064,004 men and women
Hammond, E. C. (1964) · American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.54.1.11 · Cited by 401
Exploring the Iceberg: Common Symptoms and How People Care for Them
Verbrugge, L. M., & Ascione, F. J. (1987) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/00005650-198706000-00008 · Cited by 257
Patients Who Amplify Bodily Sensations
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Cited by
The PHQ-15: Validity of a New Measure for Evaluating the Severity of Somatic Symptoms
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2002) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-200203000-00008 · Cited by 3,298
“It inquires about 15 somatic symptoms or symptom clusters that account for more than 90% of the physical complaints (excluding upper respiratory tract symptoms) reported in the outpatient setting (1, 36).”
BackgroundParshall, M. B., Schwartzstein, R. M., Adams, L., Banzett, R. B., Manning, H. L., Bourbeau, J., Calverley, P. M., Gift, A. G., Harver, A., Lareau, S. C., et al. (2012) · American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · doi:10.1164/rccm.201111-2042st · Cited by 1,844
Barsky, A. J., Orav, E. J., & Bates, D. W. (2005) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.8.903 · Cited by 911
“Role impairment Intermediate activities of daily living (1-100)† 65.”
BackgroundThe Somatic Symptom Scale–8 (SSS-8): A Brief Measure of Somatic Symptom Burden
Gierk, B., Kohlmann, S., Kroenke, K., Spangenberg, L., Zenger, M., Brähler, E., & Löwe, B. (2014) · JAMA Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.12179 · Cited by 740
Patients presenting with somatic complaints: epidemiology, psychiatric co‐morbidity and management
Kroenke, K. (2003) · International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1002/mpr.140 · Cited by 624
“An estimated 80% of individuals will experience one or more symptoms in any given month (Reidenberg et al., 1968; Kroenke et al., 1990; Green et al., 2001).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Arrington, M. E.
- Affiliations
- Brooke Army Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Arrington, Mary E.
- Venue
- Archives of Internal Medicine
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 1990-08-01
- Volume
- 150
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1685
- ISSN
- 0003-9926 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2113252270
- Semantic Scholar
- 63de2f205022589d0f516cda571e061ccb1e8c33
- Cited by
- 367
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 5.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Chronic Disease Management Strategies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Family Practice › Primary Care and Health Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Keywords
- symptom prevalence, medical outpatients, treatment adequacy, fatigue, back pain, symptom clusters, patient-reported outcomes, treatment effectiveness, dyspnea, dizziness, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, pain syndromes
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Ambulatory Care, Female, Gastrointestinal Diseases, Humans, Internal Medicine, Male, Middle Aged, Morbidity, Pain, Prevalence, Mood Disorders, Pain Management
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