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Cathébras P, Ranque B, Lemogne C. [From "medically unexplained symptoms" to "persistent somatic symptoms": A welcome paradigm shift]. Rev Med Interne 2024; 45:531-534. [PMID: 39244243 DOI: 10.1016/j.revmed.2024.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Cathébras
- Service de médecine interne, hôpital Nord, CHU de Saint-Étienne, 42055 Saint-Étienne, France.
| | - Brigitte Ranque
- Service de médecine interne, hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France; Center for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), université Paris Cité et université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, INRAE, 75004 Paris, France
| | - Cédric Lemogne
- Center for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), université Paris Cité et université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, INRAE, 75004 Paris, France; Service de psychiatrie de l'adulte, hôpital Hôtel-Dieu, AP-HP, 75004 Paris, France
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Löwe B, Toussaint A, Rosmalen JGM, Huang WL, Burton C, Weigel A, Levenson JL, Henningsen P. Persistent physical symptoms: definition, genesis, and management. Lancet 2024; 403:2649-2662. [PMID: 38879263 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(24)00623-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Persistent physical symptoms (synonymous with persistent somatic symptoms) is an umbrella term for distressing somatic complaints that last several months or more, regardless of their cause. These symptoms are associated with substantial disability and represent a major burden for patients, health-care professionals, and society. Persistent physical symptoms can follow infections, injuries, medical diseases, stressful life events, or arise de novo. As symptoms persist, their link to clearly identifiable pathophysiology often weakens, making diagnosis and treatment challenging. Multiple biological and psychosocial risk factors and mechanisms contribute to the persistence of somatic symptoms, including persistent inflammation; epigenetic profiles; immune, metabolic and microbiome dysregulation; early adverse life experiences; depression; illness-related anxiety; dysfunctional symptom expectations; symptom focusing; symptom learning; and avoidance behaviours, with many factors being common across symptoms and diagnoses. Basic care consists of addressing underlying pathophysiology and using person-centred communication techniques with validation, appropriate reassurance, and biopsychosocial explanation. If basic care is insufficient, targeted psychological and pharmacological interventions can be beneficial. A better understanding of the multifactorial persistence of somatic symptoms should lead to more specific, personalised, and mechanism-based treatment, and a reduction in the stigma patients commonly face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Löwe
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Centre for Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Anne Toussaint
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Centre for Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Judith G M Rosmalen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Wei-Lieh Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Douliu City, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Christopher Burton
- School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Angelika Weigel
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Centre for Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - James L Levenson
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Peter Henningsen
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
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Gramont B, Goutte J, Féasson L, Millet G, Hupin D, Cathébras P. [Chronic fatigue: What investigations? And what for?]. Rev Med Interne 2023; 44:662-669. [PMID: 37248110 DOI: 10.1016/j.revmed.2023.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Chronic fatigue is a frequent complaint, expressed at all levels of the healthcare system. It is perceived as disabling in a high proportion of cases, and internists are frequently called upon to find "the" cause. The etiological diagnostic approach of an unexplained state of fatigue relies on the careful search for more specific clues by questioning and clinical examination. It is necessary to recognize the limited place of complementary examinations apart from the basic biological parameters. Simple rating scales can be useful in the etiological and differential diagnosis of fatigue. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), in the current state of knowledge, cannot be considered as a specific pathological entity distinct from idiopathic chronic fatigue states, and does not have validated biomarkers. It is important to know that a state of chronic asthenia often results from several intricated etiological factors (biological, psychological and social), to be classified as predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating. The metabolic and cardiorespiratory exercise test has a major place in the assessment and management of fatigue, as a prerequisite for personalized retraining or adapted physical activity (APA), which are the treatments of choice for chronic fatigue.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Gramont
- Service de médecine interne, CHU de Saint-Étienne, hôpital Nord, Saint-Étienne, France.
| | - J Goutte
- Service de médecine interne, CHU de Saint-Étienne, hôpital Nord, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - L Féasson
- Service de physiologie clinique et de l'exercice, IRMIS, CHU de Saint-Étienne, université Jean-Monnet, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - G Millet
- STAPS, IRMIS, université Jean-Monnet, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - D Hupin
- Service de physiologie clinique et de l'exercice, IRMIS, CHU de Saint-Étienne, université Jean-Monnet, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - P Cathébras
- Service de médecine interne, CHU de Saint-Étienne, hôpital Nord, Saint-Étienne, France
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Mascaro JS, Palmer PK, Willson M, Ash MJ, Florian MP, Srivastava M, Sharma A, Jarrell B, Walker ER, Kaplan DM, Palitsky R, Cole SP, Grant GH, Raison CL. The Language of Compassion: Hospital Chaplains' Compassion Capacity Reduces Patient Depression via Other-Oriented, Inclusive Language. Mindfulness (N Y) 2023; 14:2485-2498. [PMID: 38170105 PMCID: PMC10760975 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-022-01907-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Although hospital chaplains play a critical role in delivering emotional and spiritual care to a broad range of both religious and non-religious patients, there is remarkably little research on the best practices or "active ingredients" of chaplain spiritual consults. Here, we examined how chaplains' compassion capacity was associated with their linguistic behavior with hospitalized inpatients, and how their language in turn related to patient outcomes. Methods Hospital chaplains (n = 16) completed self-report measures that together were operationalized as self-reported "compassion capacity." Next, chaplains conducted consultations with inpatients (n = 101) in five hospitals. Consultations were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC). We used exploratory structural equation modeling to identify associations between chaplain-reported compassion capacity, chaplain linguistic behavior, and patient depression after the consultation. Results We found that compassion capacity was significantly associated with chaplains' LIWC clout scores, a variable that reflects a confident leadership, inclusive, and other-oriented linguistic style. Clout scores, in turn, were negatively associated with patient depression levels controlling for pre-consult distress, indicating that patients seen by chaplains displaying high levels of clout had lower levels of depression after the consultation. Compassion capacity exerted a statistically significant indirect effect on patient depression via increased clout language. Conclusions These findings inform our understanding of the linguistic patterns underlying compassionate and effective chaplain-patient consultations and contribute to a deeper understanding of the skillful means by which compassion may be manifest to reduce suffering and enhance well-being in individuals at their most vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S. Mascaro
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road NE, Suite 507, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Department of Spiritual Health, Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Patricia K. Palmer
- Department of Spiritual Health, Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Madison Willson
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road NE, Suite 507, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Marcia J. Ash
- Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Meha Srivastava
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road NE, Suite 507, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Anuja Sharma
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road NE, Suite 507, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Bria Jarrell
- Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Reisinger Walker
- Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Deanna M. Kaplan
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Roman Palitsky
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Steven P. Cole
- Research Design Associates, Inc, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
| | - George H. Grant
- Department of Spiritual Health, Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Charles L. Raison
- Department of Spiritual Health, Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Saunders C, Treufeldt H, Rask MT, Pedersen HF, Rask C, Burton C, Frostholm L. Explanations for functional somatic symptoms across European treatment settings: A mixed methods study. J Psychosom Res 2023; 166:111155. [PMID: 36680846 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Engaging patients in treatment for functional somatic symptoms (FSS) relies on a shared understanding of the mechanisms underlying the complaints. Despite this, little is known about the explanatory models used in daily clinical practice. We aim to examine the approaches healthcare professionals use to explain FSS across European healthcare settings. METHODS This is an exploratory mixed methods study, combining sequential qualitative and quantitative analyses. 3 types of data were collected: a survey of Health-Care Professionals (HCPs) with special interest in FSS from 16 European countries (n = 186), Patient Education Material collected systematically from survey respondents (n = 72) and semi-structured Interviews with HCPs (n = 14). Survey results are summarized descriptively. Qualitative data was thematically coded following template analysis methods. Findings were integrated through mixed-methods triangulation. RESULTS Five main explanatory models for FSS that are used across treatment settings and diagnostic constructs were represented in the data. The 'Multisystem Stress' Approach explains FSS through physiological stress responses within a bio-psycho-social paradigm. 'Sensitized Alarm' and 'Malfunctioning software' are both approaches derived from the neurosciences. Explanations related to 'Embodied Experience' are often used within integrated psychosomatic therapies. In the person-centred 'Symptoms' approach, HCPs aim for co-constructed, individualized explanations. These approaches, which rely on different models of mind-body-environment are complementary and are used flexibly by skilled HCPs. CONCLUSION Taken together the explanatory models described might form the basis of a curriculum of medical explanation with the potential to equip clinicians to form more collaborative relationships with patients across healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Saunders
- Faculty of Health, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Department for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatic Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
| | - Hõbe Treufeldt
- Academic Unit of Primary Care, University of Sheffield, UK
| | - Mette Trøllund Rask
- Faculty of Health, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Department for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatic Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Heidi Frølund Pedersen
- Faculty of Health, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Department for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatic Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Rask
- Faculty of Health, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Chris Burton
- Academic Unit of Primary Care, University of Sheffield, UK
| | - Lisbeth Frostholm
- Faculty of Health, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Department for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatic Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
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Meade E, Garvey M. The Role of Neuro-Immune Interaction in Chronic Pain Conditions; Functional Somatic Syndrome, Neurogenic Inflammation, and Peripheral Neuropathy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158574. [PMID: 35955708 PMCID: PMC9369187 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional somatic syndromes are increasingly diagnosed in chronically ill patients presenting with an array of symptoms not attributed to physical ailments. Conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, or irritable bowel syndrome are common disorders that belong in this broad category. Such syndromes are characterised by the presence of one or multiple chronic symptoms including widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, and abdominal pain, amongst other issues. Symptoms are believed to relate to a complex interaction of biological and psychosocial factors, where a definite aetiology has not been established. Theories suggest causative pathways between the immune and nervous systems of affected individuals with several risk factors identified in patients presenting with one or more functional syndromes. Risk factors including stress and childhood trauma are now recognised as important contributors to chronic pain conditions. Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse during childhood is considered a severe stressor having a high prevalence in functional somatic syndrome suffers. Such trauma permanently alters the biological stress response of the suffers leading to neuroexcitatory and other nerve issues associated with chronic pain in adults. Traumatic and chronic stress results in epigenetic changes in stress response genes, which ultimately leads to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, the autonomic nervous system, and the immune system manifesting in a broad array of symptoms. Importantly, these systems are known to be dysregulated in patients suffering from functional somatic syndrome. Functional somatic syndromes are also highly prevalent co-morbidities of psychiatric conditions, mood disorders, and anxiety. Consequently, this review aims to provide insight into the role of the nervous system and immune system in chronic pain disorders associated with the musculoskeletal system, and central and peripheral nervous systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Meade
- Department of Life Science, Atlantic Technological University, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland;
| | - Mary Garvey
- Department of Life Science, Atlantic Technological University, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland;
- Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research (PEM), Atlantic Technological University, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland
- Correspondence:
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