Somatic symptoms after a natural disaster: a prospective study.
The authors prospectively examined the prevalence of somatization symptoms among community respondents after a natural disaster in Puerto Rico. Exposure to the disaster was related to a higher prevalence of medically unexplained physical symptoms, particularly gastrointestinal ones (abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, excessive gas) and pseudoneurological ones (amnesia, paralysis, fainting, unusual spells/double vision).
Escobar
J I
JI
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington.
Canino
G
G
Rubio-Stipec
M
M
Bravo
M
M
D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*