Ferrari Robert, Obelieniene Diana, Russell Anthony, Darlington Paul, Gervais Roger, Green Paul
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta Hospital, Canada.
Med Sci Monit. 2002 Nov;8(11):CR728-34.
The objective of the present study is to compare the frequency and nature of expected 'whiplash' symptoms in Lithuania (a country where the late whiplash syndrome is rare or unknown) with that in Canada.
MATERIAL/METHODS: A symptom checklist was administered to 2 subject groups selected from local companies in Kaunas, Lithuania, and Edmonton, Canada, respectively. Subjects were asked to imagine having suffered a neck sprain (whiplash injury) with no loss of consciousness in a motor vehicle accident, and to check which, of a variety of symptoms, they would expect might arise from the injury. For symptoms they anticipated, they were asked to select the period of time they expected those symptoms to persist.
In both the Lithuanian and Edmontonian groups, the pattern of symptoms anticipated closely resembled the acute symptoms commonly reported by accident victims with acute neck sprain, but while up to 50% of Edmontonians also anticipated symptoms to last months or years, very few Lithuanian subjects selected any symptoms as likely to persist.
In Lithuania, despite the documented occurrence of neck sprain symptoms in some 50% of individuals following motor vehicle accidents, there is a very low rate of expectation of any sequelae from this injury. What current or previous aspects of society that underlie this remain uncertain. This lack of expectation of chronicity in Lithuania may, in part, determine the low prevalence of the late whiplash syndrome there. Further studies of symptom expectation as an etiologic factor in the late whiplash syndrome are needed.
本研究的目的是比较立陶宛（一个迟发性挥鞭样综合征罕见或不为人知的国家）和加拿大预期的“挥鞭样损伤”症状的频率和性质。
材料/方法：分别对立陶宛考纳斯和加拿大埃德蒙顿当地公司选取的两个受试者组进行了症状清单调查。受试者被要求想象在机动车事故中颈部扭伤（挥鞭样损伤）但未失去意识的情况，并勾选他们认为可能由该损伤引起的各种症状。对于他们预期会出现的症状，要求他们选择预期这些症状会持续的时间段。
在立陶宛组和埃德蒙顿组中，预期的症状模式与急性颈部扭伤事故受害者通常报告的急性症状非常相似，但虽然高达50%的埃德蒙顿人还预期症状会持续数月或数年，但很少有立陶宛受试者选择任何可能持续的症状。
在立陶宛，尽管记录显示约50%的人在机动车事故后出现颈部扭伤症状，但对该损伤任何后遗症的预期发生率非常低。导致这种情况的当前或以前的社会因素尚不确定。立陶宛对慢性症状的这种低预期可能部分决定了该国迟发性挥鞭样综合征的低患病率。需要进一步研究症状预期作为迟发性挥鞭样综合征病因的因素。
