Symptom load and functional status: results from the Ullensaker population study

Abstract

BackgroundThere is evidence to support that the number of self-reported symptoms is a strong predictor of health outcomes. In studies examining the link between symptoms and functional status, focus has traditionally been on individual symptoms or specific groups of symptoms. We aim to identify associations between the number of self-reported symptoms and functional status.MethodsA questionnaire was sent to people in seven age groups (N = 3227) in Ullensaker municipality in Southern Norway. The Standardised Nordic Questionnaire and the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory were used to record 10 musculoskeletal symptoms and 13 non-musculoskeletal symptoms, respectively. Four COOP-WONCA charts were used to measure functional status.ResultsWe found a strong linear association between the number of self-reported symptoms and functional status. The number of symptoms explained 39.2% of the variance in functional status after adjusting for the effects of age and sex. Including individual symptoms instead of only the number of symptoms made little difference to the effect of musculoskeletal pain but affected the influence of non-muscular symptoms. Including even minor problems captured substantially more of the variance in functional status than including only serious problems.ConclusionsThe strong association between the number of symptoms and functional status, irrespective of type of symptom, might indicate that the symptoms share some common characteristics. The simple act of counting symptoms may provide an approach to study the relationships between health and function in population studies and might be valuable in research on medically unexplained conditions.

A prospective population-based study of health complaints in adolescence and use of social welfare benefits in young adulthood

“…this is consistent with findings in a recent Norwegian study [24]. Previous research argues that a simple counting of symptoms, irrespective of type and severity, may contribute useful knowledge about functional status, in addition to the effect of individual health complaints [15]. We found that an increase in symptom burden was related to an increasing relative hazard of receiving a benefit, a result which supports that a similar approach also can be fruitful when investigating adolescent health and marginalization.…”

“…the results from this study are based on data from a comprehensive health survey of all 10th grade secondary school students (ages [15][16], living in six Norwegian counties during 1999-2004. the youth survey was initiated in Oslo and was subsequently extended to include five more counties in the following years. the survey included items about relationships with family, friends and school; physical and mental health; health behavior; and life events [16].…”

Chronic pain and the development of a symptom checklist: a pilot study

“…However, Scandinavian population studies have shown widespread symptom reporting, especially by women, not related to disease. [4][5][6] CNCP patients have multiple symptoms but symptom intensity, bothersomeness and priority are not necessarily equivalents in patients with pain. 4,5,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Therefore, in the development of a HMS specifically to better understand the situation of CNCP patients in the clinic, the separate inclusion of items relating to symptoms, problems/bothersomeness and priorities is desirable.…”

Applications of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire: A Review

“…These researchers consider this to indicate that the complaints shared characteristics or common causal factors. Bruusgaard et al [276] also sent the NMQ and the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory to 7 elderly groups in Norway. The results showed a strong association between the number of symptoms and the functionality of the individuals.…”

“…Roquelaure et al (2012) [275] France Application of the NMQ in temporary workers. Bruusgaard et al (2012) [276] Norway Application of the NMQ in a population group. Ditchen et al (2013) [277] Germany Application of the NMQ in a varied occupational group.…”