How illness presents: a study in the People's Republic of China

Twenty-six patients were interviewed in five clinics at the Hunan Medical School in the People's Republic of China to assess the degree to which patients presenting with medical problems had primarily underlying psychological and social concerns. Patients in all five clinics (paediatrics, internal medicine, otolaryngology, urology and gynaecology) demonstrated a high degree of non-medical concerns. Fear of cancer was common. Many patients mentioned concerns about their children, sexual problems, or other family problems. Both patients and physicians seemed to be comfortable discussing the patients' personal problems and concerns. A medical presentation of psychosocial concerns was as common in China as it is in the United States.