Medically unexplained somatic symptoms
Patients commonly present to
doctors with somatic symptoms. Whilst these are often clearly associated with a
medical condition, in other cases they are not. Symptoms may be
disproportionate to, or occur in the absence of, a medical condition and are then often referred
to as ‘medically unexplained symptoms’ (MUS). MUS are very common and occur in
a quarter to a half of patients attending general medical outpatient clinics.
Almost any symptom can be medically unexplained and common examples include:
• pain (including back, chest,
abdominal and headache)
• fatigue
• dizziness
• fits, ‘funny turns’ and
feelings of weakness.
Patients with MUS may receive a
medical diagnosis of a so-called functional somatic syndrome, such as irritable
bowel syndrome and may also merit a psychiatric diagnosis on the basis of the
same symptoms. The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses associated with MUS are
anxiety or depressive disorders. When these are absent, a diagnosis of
somatoform disorder may be applied
Laxman Dhakal
Admin
Medical MCQ
