Does somatization influence quality of life among older primary care patients?
BACKGROUND
Among older people, somatization has been reported to be common and to be predictive of high attendance in primary care. Its relationship with quality of life among older people has not been investigated.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to establish whether, among older primary care attenders, somatized symptoms are independently associated with relevant measures of quality of life.


METHODS
Older primary care attenders (n = 127) completed measures of somatized symptoms, psychiatric status, physical health and health-related quality of life. Logistic regression analyses established independent relationships of health and sociodemographic variables with reports of overall quality of life, overall health, restriction of physical activities by health and restriction of social activities by health.


RESULTS
For all four outcomes, somatized symptoms independently predicted poorer quality of life ratings.


CONCLUSIONS
Somatized symptoms independently influence quality of life in older primary care patients and are worthy of clinical attention.
Sheehan
Bart
B
Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. B.Sheehan@warwick.ac.uk
Lall
Ranjit
R
Bass
Christopher
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology*