ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2021
Patients in general practice share a common pattern of symptoms that is partly independent of the diagnosis.
Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of primary care physiotherapy and its associations with clinical and socioeconomic outcomes in musculoskeletal disorders: a cohort study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Observational
- Symptom burden in middle-aged women, the role of immigrant status.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Factors related to self-rated health: a survey among patients and their general practitioners.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo 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.
designDoctor-patient questionnaires focusing on patients' self-reported symptoms during the past 7 days and the doctors' diagnoses.
settingGeneral 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.
resultsThe 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 (
conclusionsPatients 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 POINTSPatients 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.
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