Medically unexplained persistent physical symptoms

Question 1

What are medically unexplained symptoms( MUS)?

Answer 1

• Physical symptoms not explained by underlying organic cause
• Cause significant functional disability/ distress
• Can’t be soley attributable to anxiety depression, health anxiety or psychosis
• e.g pain, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, changes in gut motility & visual and auditory disturbances
• Can occur singly(e.g dizziness) in symptom clusters (e.g fibromyalgia) or in combo

Question 2

What is ICD-10?

Answer 2

International statistical classification of diseases

Question 3

What is DSM-5?

Answer 3

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

Question 4

How can we diagnoses irritable bowel syndrome?

Answer 4

Rome III criteria:

• Recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort 3 days per month in the last 3 months, associated with 2/more of the following…
  1. ) Improvement with defecation
  2. ) Onset associated with a change in frequency or stool
  3. ) Associated with a change in form(appearance) of stool
• Criteria fulfilled for the last 3 months with symptom onset 6 months prior to diagnosis

Question 5

What is Chronic fatigue sydrome?

Answer 5

• Persistent or relapsing, dehibilitating fatigue for at least 6 months
• 4 of 8 other specified somatic symptoms

Question 6

What is fibromyalgia?

Answer 6

• Widespread pain index& symptom severity scores
• Symptoms have been present at a similar level for at least 3 months
• The patient doesn’t have a condition that would otherwise explain the pain

Question 7

What are predisposing factors?

Answer 7

Make one susceptible to disease

Question 8

What are precipitating factors?

Answer 8

The catalyst for an illness, symptom or episode.

Question 9

What are Perpetuating factors?

Answer 9

Those that maintain the condition. Includes physiology, cognition, emotion& behaviour

Question 10

How can we treat MUPS?

Answer 10

-Cognitive behavioural based treatments( CBTs)

Question 11

What is graded exercise therapy (GET)?

Answer 11

• A structured exercise programme that aims to gradually increase how long you can carry out a physical activity