Citation

Caflisch M, De Guillenchmidt C, Alvin P. Ann. Pediatr. (Paris) 1998; 45(5): 295-302.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Societe Edition Assoc, Enseignement Med. Hop De Paris)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Adolescence is often held to be the age of 'good health'. In recent studies, however, two thirds of adolescents reported commonly experiencing symptoms in the functional or 'fuzzy' category, namely fatigue, sleep disorders, headache, abdominal pain, or back pain. The frequency of fuzzy symptoms and the extent to which they were related to the reason for seeking medical help were evaluated in 457 patients attending a teaching hospital adolescent clinic. Each patient completed a self-administered questionnaire including items on somatic symptoms. Three or more fuzzy symptoms were reported by as many as 52% patients, and only 16% reported no fuzzy symptoms. Fuzzy symptoms were significantly more numerous among girls than among boys (3.7 versus 2.9 per patient). Fatigue was the most common fuzzy symptom (65%), followed by difficulty falling asleep (53%), nocturnal arousals (43%), headache (41%), abdominal pain (37%), and malaise (36%). The frequency of fuzzy symptoms was not influenced by age but was closely linked to the main diagnosis: fuzzy symptoms were significantly more common in patients with diagnoses related to psychosocial difficulties. These data suggest that fuzzy symptoms may serve as coded signals that denote a diffuse state of ill- being.

Language: fr

Keywords

abdominal pain; adolescence; Adolescence; adolescent disease; article; backache; chronic disease; Chronic diseases; Depressive disorders; fatigue; functional disease; headache; neurosis; patient attitude; psychological aspect; sleep disorder; somatization; Somatoform disorders; Suicidal attempts; suicide attempt; symptomatology