Prevalence of somatoform disorders and medically unexplained symptoms in old age populations in comparison with younger age groups: A systematic review

Abstract

Prevalence of somatoform disorders and medically unexplained symptoms in old age populations in comparison with younger age groups Hilderink, P. H.; Collard, R.; Rosmalen, Judith; Oude Voshaar, Richard C. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. a b s t r a c tObjective: To review current knowledge regarding the prevalence of somatization problems in later life by level of caseness (somatoform disorders and medically unexplained symptoms, MUS) and to compare these rates with those in middle-aged and younger age groups. Method: A systematic search of the literature published from 1966 onwards was conducted in the Pubmed and EMBASE databases.Results: Overall 8 articles, describing a total of 7 cohorts, provided data of at least one prevalence rate for somatoform disorders or MUS for the middle-aged (50-65 years) or older age (≥65 years) group. Prevalence rates for somatoform disorders in the general population range from 11 to 21% in younger, 10 to 20% in the middle-aged, and 1.5 to 13% in the older age groups. Prevalence rates for MUS show wider ranges, of respectively 1.6-70%, 2.4-87%, and 4.6-18%, in the younger, middle, and older age groups, which could be explained by the use of different instruments as well as lack of consensus in defining MUS. Conclusion: Somatoform disorders and MUS are common in later life, although the available data suggest that prevalence rates decline after the age of 65 years. More systematic research with special focus on the older population is needed to understand this age-related decline in prevalence rates.

Associations between breakfast eating habits and health-promoting lifestyle, suboptimal health status in Southern China: a population based, cross sectional study

“…Accordingly, SHS sufferers are typified by impaired quality of life, frequent hospital visits and incurred medical expenses [20,21]. A previous investigation by the current authors found that suboptimal health status was applicable to 65.1% of the surveyed population in Southern China [24], with SHS now a major global public health challenge [20,25,26]. Current prevention and intervention strategies recommend disease prevention and effective treatment of early-stage illness [27,28].…”

Bioimpedance analysis vs. DEXA as a screening tool for osteosarcopenia in lean, overweight and obese Caucasian postmenopausal females

“…47 MUS are quite common in later life; however, the available data suggest that the prevalence rate declines after the age of 65 years. 48 These apparently contradictory results might be due to the lack of a consensus in the definition of MUS, which fall into the category of somatomorphic disorders, as well as the paucity of guidelines of MUS definition and management. 49 Estimates of prevalence inevitably vary with definition, but are higher in patients seen at primary care doctor's offices, with these physicians having more confidence in their ability to diagnose and manage mental health problems.…”

Is all we know that we know nothing? A critical review of the prevalence of somatoform disorders in the elderly

“…Important population based studies that have investigated the prevalence of mental disorders define the age of 65 years as a cutoff and thereby exclude the elderly population [3][4][5][6] or somatoform disorders are excluded a priori in studies exploring mental disorders in the elderly [7]. Some attention has already been paid to the neglect of somatoform disorders by geriatric psychiatry [8], yet the reviews dealing with this issue all come to similar conclusions: empirical data are scarce, and results are highly heterogeneous, as 12 month prevalence rates vary from 0.0% to 30.1% [9][10][11].…”

“…As mentioned previously, studies investigating somatoform disorders in the elderly are rare, and the reported prevalence rates are highly heterogeneous [9,11]. One reason for this heterogeneity might lie in the controversial conceptualization of this group of disorders.…”

“…An initial search yielded 4 review articles, of which one was excluded for language reasons [10] and one because no systematic literature search had been performed [8]. This procedure led to the selection of two systematic reviews [9,11] resulting in 16 potentially relevant epidemiological studies (see Table 2). Examining these studies in more detail led us to believe that that no valid conclusions can be drawn about the prevalence of somatization and hypochondriasis in elderly people for several reasons including counterintuitive age cutoffs, diverse samples, inconsistent measures and, most notably, heterogeneous diagnostic groups.…”