Somatisation disorder in nephrologic patients

Nephrologic patients have somatisation disorder that can be primary disorder when fear is dominant or secondary disorder in the frame of other organic and mental disorders.

To evaluate, somatisaton disorder is more offten accompanied with microalbuminuria (MA) in patients with suspected endemic nephropathy than in patients with some other nephrologic disorder, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) during period from January the 1st of 2000 to December the 31st of 2006.

Somatisation disorders were proved in patients with microalbuminuria (MA) in nephropathic group (n = 200), and they were compared to the patients with MA in other nephrologic disorders (n = 200). The study took place from January, the 1st of 2000 to December, the 31st of 2006, and it was a multicentric, longitudinal, comparative study in B&H. Patients were questioned using: B&H Renal register questionnaire adapted for this study and psychological tests: Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Statistical analysis was done using descriptive methods and multivariate logistic model.

In nephropathic group (t = 23.103, P = 0.001) somatisation disorder F45.0 was found in 10.50%, while it was found in 7.00% patients in control group. On multivariate model, somatisation disorder in nephropathic group F45.0 was -4.00%, r = 0.950, OR = 0.875 (95%), CI = 0.710-0.820; undifferentiated disorder -4.00%, hypochondria -3.50%, disfunction of VNS -1.50%, pain disorder -1.00% and 0.50% of other disorders life in house, village and renal heredity. Somatisation disorder in control group was 2.50%, r = 0.815, OR = 0.985 (95%), CI = 0.710-0.920, P = 0.001, undifferentiated disorder -2.50%, disfunction of VNS -2.00%, pain -1.50%, and -1.00% hypochondria with migration, living in flat and town.

Majority of the patients tested on microalbuminuria had somatisation of fear, and nephropathic somatisation disorder F45.0 was found in 10.50% comparing to 7.00% of controls, comfirming somatisation of anxiety in nephrologic patients. Somatisation was proved using sociodemographic and variables of anxiety, depressivness and cognitive disturbance.