Symptoms in frequent attenders in secondary care commonly remain medically unexplained

It is widely recognised that frequent attenders in all medical settings account for a disproportionate amount of healthcare resources. While many of these patients have chronic medical problems, others present with complaints that remain unexplained after extensive investigation. Reid et al (p 767) reviewed the case notes of 361 frequent attenders in secondary care in one region of England in 1993-6. Over a fifth of secondary care consultations by this group remained medically unexplained, with abdominal pain, chest pain, headache, and back pain being particularly common. The authors suggest that the identification and management of unexplained symptoms in secondary care settings merits greater consideration.

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Relevant Article

Medically unexplained symptoms in frequent attenders of secondary health care: retrospective cohort study

Steven Reid, Simon Wessely, Tim Crayford, and Matthew Hotopf
BMJ 2001 322: 767. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]