A 5-year follow up of patients discharged with non-specific abdominal pain: out of sight, out of mind?

作者：Banz V M^*; Sperisen O; de Moya M; Zimmermann H; Candinas D; Mougiakakou S G; Exadaktylos A K

来源：Internal Medicine Journal, 2012, 42(4): 395-401.

DOI：10.1111/j.1445-5994.2010.02288.x

• abdominal pain
• emergency medicine
• prospective study

Background/Aim: Acute non-specific abdominal pain (NSAP) is prevalent in 625% of the general population and is a common cause of admission to the emergency department (ED). Despite involvement of substantial financial and human resources, there are few data on long-term outcome after initial diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term outcome of patients initially admitted with NSAP to an ED. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods: The study involves a 5-year follow-up analysis of prospectively collected data on 104 patients admitted to our ED in 2003 with NSAP. Primary end-point was clinical outcome 5 years after initial ED admission. Predictive risk factors were assessed using a multivariate regression model. %26lt;br%26gt;Results: 29 patients (28%) had recurring NSAP 5 years after initial ED admission, 76% of these patients received (multiple) diagnostic examinations and 13% eventually required diagnostic (or therapeutic) surgery. Although approximately half of patients with recurring NSAP eventually received a definite diagnosis, 30% still suffered from recurrent abdominal pain. Using regression analysis, no single factor in our dataset could be identified as a predictor for NSAP persistence. %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusion: The long-term impact for patients initially admitted to our ED with acute NSAP is significant -28% of patients continue to suffer from recurring NSAP after 5 years. NSAP therefore remains, despite more advanced diagnostic tools, a true and, as yet, unsolved problem.

• 出版日期2012-4