title: High prevalence of symptoms in a severely abused "non-patient" women population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this article is to assess the prevalence of somatic symptoms and of gastrointestinal (GI) syndromes in abused "non-patient" women and the association with the time of perpetration, type, and severity of abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven women, 18-58 years, receiving shelter in anti-violence associations were invited to fill out an anonymous questionnaire with a medical and an abuse section. The severity of abuse was expressed as the 0-6 Abuse Severity Measure (ASM). The association between abuse characteristics and the number of symptoms, and GI syndromes was assessed by Poisson regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most women suffered from childhood and adulthood sexual and physical abuse. They reported a mean of 5.1 GI symptoms (range 0-13; median 5; IQR 6) and of 1.3 extra-GI symptoms (range 0-6; median 1; IQR 2); 30% of women matched the Rome II Criteria for one, 36% for two, and 4.4% for three or more syndromes, respectively. Women with an ASM of 5-6, having suffered from both sexual and physical abuse, reported significantly (p = 0.02) more GI symptoms, but not extra-GI ones (p = 0.07), and met criteria for more GI syndromes than women with an ASM ≤4 and those reporting only one type of abuse. No association was found between the time of perpetration of the abuse and the number of GI and extra-GI symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptoms in abused "non-patient" women mainly concern the abdomen and the GI tract. A history of severe, combined physical and sexual abuse is associated with a higher number of GI symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pallotta
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piacentino
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ciccantelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistical Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Golini
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistical Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spagnoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vincoli
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Es
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Corazziari
keywords: Chronic gastrointestinal disorders; abuse severity measure; functional gastrointestinal disorders; physical abuse; sexual abuse; somatization