Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Online first
    • Online first
  • Current issue
    • Current issue
  • Archive
    • Archive
  • Submit a paper
    • Online submission site
    • Information for authors
  • About the journal
    • About the journal
    • Editorial board
    • Information for authors
    • FAQs
    • Thank you to our reviewers
      • Thank you to our reviewers
    • American Federation for Medical Research
  • Help
    • Contact us
    • Feedback form
    • Reprints
    • Permissions
    • Advertising
  • BMJ Journals

User menu

  • Login

Search

  • Advanced search
  • BMJ Journals
  • Login
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
JIM

Advanced Search

  • Online first
    • Online first
  • Current issue
    • Current issue
  • Archive
    • Archive
  • Submit a paper
    • Online submission site
    • Information for authors
  • About the journal
    • About the journal
    • Editorial board
    • Information for authors
    • FAQs
    • Thank you to our reviewers
    • American Federation for Medical Research
  • Help
    • Contact us
    • Feedback form
    • Reprints
    • Permissions
    • Advertising

Patterns and seasonality in pediatric referrals for functional somatic symptoms

Pepijn den Braber, Joris van Driel, Dorien Broekhuijsen, Bert Wienen, Jolita Bekhof
DOI: 10.1136/jim-2021-002252 Published 3 October 2022
Pepijn den Braber
1 Pediatrics, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Joris van Driel
1 Pediatrics, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Dorien Broekhuijsen
1 Pediatrics, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Bert Wienen
2 Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jolita Bekhof
1 Pediatrics, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Jolita Bekhof
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Functional somatic symptoms (FSS), or medically unexplained physical symptoms, are common in children and it has been suggested that the incidence is increasing. To determine the incidence and pattern of referrals for FSS to pediatricians, we performed a retrospective analysis including newly referred pediatric patients to our secondary pediatric practice in Zwolle, The Netherlands, ultimately diagnosed with FSS between 2013 and 2018. FSS was defined as functional abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, chronic musculoskeletal pain and chronic headache without an underlying medical diagnosis. In the 6-year period, 10.4% of elective referrals were related to FSS without a significant upward trend. We found clear seasonal variation with peaks in incidences in March (+31%) and November (+21%) and a nadir around August (−48%). In conclusion, FSS account for 1 in 10 non-acute pediatric referrals, without an increase in incidence in the past 6 years. The seasonal pattern is remarkable and warrants further analysis.

Footnotes

  • Twitter @JolitaBekhof

  • Contributors The manuscript has been read and approved by all authors, and all authors have contributed to preparing the manuscript. PdB performed data analysis, interpreted data and wrote the initial version of the report. JB supervised data analysis and edited the report. PdB and JB designed the study and had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. DB, JvD and BW contributed to the study design and reviewed the report. JB is responsible for the overall content as guarantor.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request.

View Full Text

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

PURCHASE SHORT TERM ACCESS

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 1 day for US$37.00

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

PreviousNext
Back to top
Vol 70 Issue 7 Table of Contents
Journal of Investigative Medicine: 70 (7)
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on JIM.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Patterns and seasonality in pediatric referrals for functional somatic symptoms
(Your Name) has sent you a message from JIM
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the JIM web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Patterns and seasonality in pediatric referrals for functional somatic symptoms
Pepijn den Braber, Joris van Driel, Dorien Broekhuijsen, Bert Wienen, Jolita Bekhof
Journal of Investigative Medicine Oct 2022, 70 (7) 1545-1548; DOI: 10.1136/jim-2021-002252

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Cite This
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • Endnote
  • MLA
Loading
Patterns and seasonality in pediatric referrals for functional somatic symptoms
Pepijn den Braber, Joris van Driel, Dorien Broekhuijsen, Bert Wienen, Jolita Bekhof
Journal of Investigative Medicine Oct 2022, 70 (7) 1545-1548; DOI: 10.1136/jim-2021-002252
Download PDF

Share
Patterns and seasonality in pediatric referrals for functional somatic symptoms
Pepijn den Braber, Joris van Driel, Dorien Broekhuijsen, Bert Wienen, Jolita Bekhof
Journal of Investigative Medicine Oct 2022, 70 (7) 1545-1548; DOI: 10.1136/jim-2021-002252
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
Respond to this article
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Materials and methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Conclusion
    • Data availability statement
    • Ethics statements
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Evaluating reporting of patient-reported outcomes in randomized controlled trials regarding inflammatory bowel disease: a methodological study
  • Effects of statins on outcomes in Hispanic patients with COVID-19
  • Serum levels of IL-37 and correlation with inflammatory cytokines and clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease
Show more Original research

Similar Articles

 

CONTENT

  • Latest content
  • Current issue
  • Archive
  • Sign up for email alerts
  • RSS

JOURNAL

  • About the journal
  • Editorial board
  • Subscribe
  • Thank you to our reviewers
  • American Federation for Medical Research

AUTHORS

  • Information for authors
  • Submit a paper
  • Track your article
  • Open Access at BMJ

HELP

  • Contact us
  • Reprints
  • Permissions
  • Advertising
  • Feedback form

© 2023 American Federation for Medical Research