Epidemic occupational pseudo-illness: The plague of acronyms

Bell, David S.

doi:10.1007/s11916-000-0110-7

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…Interestingly, the trend in CTS resulting in lost work days is very different from trends seen with medically-attended CTS and surgical cases in the general population. We are unaware of any medical research explaining this, although the phenomenon has been attributed to occupational pseudo-illness 38. The stigmatization of the condition in the press may play a role 39.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term trends in carpal tunnel syndrome

Gelfman¹,

Melton²,

Yawn³

et al. 2009

Neurology

191

132

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Objective To assess temporal trends in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence, surgical treatment and work-related lost time. Methods Incident CTS and first-time carpal tunnel release among Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents were identified using the medical records linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project; 80% of a sample were confirmed by medical record review. Work-related CTS was identified from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Results Altogether, 10,069 Olmsted County residents were initially diagnosed with CTS in 1981-2005. Overall incidence (adjusted to the 2000 U.S. population) was 491 and 258 per 100,000 person-years for women versus men (p < 0.0001) and 376 per 100,000 for both sexes combined. Adjusted annual rates increased from 258 per 100,000 in 1981-1985 to 424 in 2000-2005 (p < 0.0001). The average annual incidence of carpal tunnel release surgery was 109 per 100,000, while that for work-related CTS was 11 per 100,000. An increase in young, working-age individuals seeking medical attention for symptoms of less severe CTS in the early to mid-1980s was followed in the 1990s by an increasing incidence in elderly people. Conclusions The incidence of medically-diagnosed CTS accelerated in the 1980s. The cause of the increase is unclear, but it corresponds to an epidemic of CTS cases resulting in lost work days that began in the mid-1980s and lasted through the mid-1990s. The elderly present with more severe disease and are more likely to have carpal tunnel surgery, which may have significant health policy implications given the aging population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term trends in carpal tunnel syndrome

Gelfman¹,

Melton²,

Yawn³

et al. 2009

Neurology

191

132

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“…On the other hand, diagnoses can lead to misuse of resources and iatrogenic harm. In particular, a biomedical label (e.g., "fibromyalgia") might distract patients from the psychosocial and psychological aspects of their illness and arguably from the most effective treatment strategies [5,9,[12][13][14][15][16]37].…”

Section: Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Arm Ache

Chabok¹,

Ring²

2014

Hand (New York, N,Y.)

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Both patients and providers hope for better management strategies for nonspecific activity-related upper limb pain (herein referred to as "arm ache"). The next innovation in the care of arm ache may arise from the strong evidence that mood, coping strategies (e.g., catastrophic thinking), and heightened illness concern-all very responsive to treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy-account for a large percentage of the variation in symptom intensity and magnitude of disability. This focus on treatments to reduce symptoms and disability represents a change in culture for patients and providers, both of whom are accustomed to the biomedical framework that anticipates a direct correspondence between illness (the state of being unwell) and disease (pathophysiology). Not all patients are ready for such an approach, but as a first step health providers can prioritize empathy; remain mindful that words, illness concepts, and treatments can reinforce ineffective coping strategies; and encourage curiosity about the human illness experience.

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“…The proliferation of acronym usage in medicine has been heavily discussed over the past few decades. 3,5,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] However, this topic has not been addressed in the dermatology literature.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Averting the proliferation of acronymophilia in dermatology: Effectively avoiding ADCOMSUBORDCOMPHIBSPAC

Rashid

2009

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

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Epidemic occupational pseudo-illness: The plague of acronyms

Cited by 6 publications

References 44 publications

Long-term trends in carpal tunnel syndrome

Long-term trends in carpal tunnel syndrome

Arm Ache

Averting the proliferation of acronymophilia in dermatology: Effectively avoiding ADCOMSUBORDCOMPHIBSPAC

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