As part of a Finnish national epidemiological study on child psychiatric disorders, psychosomatic symptoms were studied in a sample (n = 1,100) of 8-year-old children on the basis of self-report questionnaires by the children, their parents and teachers. Psychosomatic symptoms were common, although constant symptoms were rare. There were no sex differences in the occurrence of symptoms, but interesting differences were observed in associations between symptoms and other factors. Psychosomatic symptoms were strongly associated with depression scores and school performance.

The study identified hospital utilization patterns by diagnosis-related group (DRG) produced by mastectomies for malignancy in Sacramento, California, and Syracuse, New York, for the years 1981-1984. A total of 3,449 discharges were included. Total and subtotal mastectomy discharges per capita increased in both areas. The proportion of mastectomy discharges attributed to total mastectomies increased in Sacramento and decreased in Syracuse. Mean stays for mastectomy DRGs declined by 13.72 to 56.38%. In 1984 mean stays ranged from 4.79 to 7.49 days for total mastectomies and 1.88 to 5.44 days for subtotal mastectomies. A major problem identified by the study was the lack of DRG sensitivity to differences in types of procedures. Under DRGs, radical and simple mastectomies are combined in one type of category, while subtotal mastectomies, quadrant resections, and breast biopsies are combined in another.

No abstract