Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Abdominal complaints in general practice.

Per Olav Vandvik1, Pål Kristensen, Lars Aabakken

  • 1Department of Medicine, Innlandet Hospital Health Authority, NO-2819 Gjøvik, Norway. per.vandvic@start.no

Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
|September 17, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Comparative effects of drugs for adults with overweight or obesity: systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2026
Same author

Corrigendum to SPICE-GRADE: simultaneous processing of indirect causal evidence in complex pathways using GRADE - an exploratory case study. [Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 194C (2026) 112219].

Journal of clinical epidemiology·2026
Same author

Detrimental effects of conflicts of interest in GLP-1 therapy guidance.

BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2026
Same author

Bereaved parents' experiences of anger as a part of their grieving process: a qualitative analysis.

European journal of psychotraumatology·2026
Same author

Understanding what works in disseminating clinical practice guidelines: A qualitative evidence synthesis.

Journal of clinical epidemiology·2026
Same author

Sustainability in endoscopic medical congresses and courses: Position Statement from the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates.

Endoscopy·2026

Abdominal complaints are common in general practice, with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and organic diseases presenting diagnostic challenges. Stress-related symptoms were the only significant predictor for FGID.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Primary Care Medicine
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Abdominal complaints are a frequent reason for primary care consultations.
  • Differentiating functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) from organic diseases can be challenging for general practitioners (GPs).
  • Understanding the prevalence and diagnostic patterns of these conditions in general practice is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prevalence and diagnostic distribution of abdominal complaints in Norwegian general practice.
  • To compare the characteristics and presenting symptoms of patients with FGIDs versus those with organic diseases.
  • To identify predictors for FGID and organic disease diagnoses.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 26 GPs across nine centers in Norway.

Related Experiment Videos

  • 3097 adult patients with abdominal complaints in the last 3 months completed a questionnaire.
  • 392 patients who consulted for their complaints were included for diagnosis and characteristic analysis.

    • Main Results:

    • GPs diagnosed FGID in 42.6% of patients, organic disease in 37.0%, and made no diagnosis in 20.4%.
    • Stress-related symptoms were a significant predictor for FGID (OR 1.95).
    • Weight loss was a significant predictor for organic disease (OR 2.7).

    Conclusions:

    • Abdominal complaints represent a substantial burden in primary care.
    • Distinguishing between FGID and organic disease is diagnostically difficult, with FGIDs accounting for approximately half of the diagnoses.
    • Stress-related symptoms emerged as the sole statistically significant predictor for FGID in this cohort.