Uppsala University, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine Section, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Centre for Clinical Research Sörmland, Uppsala University, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
PLoS One. 2019 Feb 4;14(2):e0211532. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211532. eCollection 2019.
To study age and sex specific prevalence of 30 symptoms in random samples from the general population and to analyze possible secular trends across time.
The study was based on data from eight on-going Swedish cohort studies, with baseline investigations performed between 1973 and 2003. Samples were drawn from the general population of the cities of Gothenburg and Eskilstuna, and of Uppsala County. Overall, 20,160 subjects were sampled, 14,470 (71.8%) responded, of whom 12.000 were unique subjects, and 2548 were part of more than one sample.
The Complaint score sub-scale of the Gothenburg Quality of Life instrument, listing 30 general symptoms was used. Responders were asked to indicate which symptoms they had experienced during the last three months.
Women reported on average 7.8 symptoms, and men 5.3 (p<0.0001). Women reported higher prevalence than men for 24 of the 30 symptoms. In multivariate analyses four patterns of prevalence across age were identified in both men and women; increasing prevalence, decreasing, stable and biphasic prevalence. The symptoms in the various pattern groups differed somewhat between men and women. However, symptoms related to strain were prominent among symptoms decreasing with age. Moreover, there were secular trends. Across all symptoms reporting prevalence increased over time in men (p<0.001) as well as in women (p<0.0001).
Women reported higher total symptom prevalence than men. Symptoms related to health generally increased with age, while symptoms related to stress decreased markedly. Significant secular trends across time regarding symptom prevalence were found.
研究随机抽取的一般人群中 30 种症状的年龄和性别特异性流行率，并分析随时间推移的可能的长期趋势。
该研究基于来自 8 项正在进行的瑞典队列研究的数据，基线调查于 1973 年至 2003 年进行。样本来自哥德堡和埃斯基尔斯蒂纳市以及乌普萨拉县的一般人群。共有 20160 名受试者被抽样，14470 名（71.8%）作出回应，其中 12000 名是独特的受试者，2548 名是多个样本的一部分。
使用哥德堡生活质量仪器的投诉评分子量表，列出 30 种一般症状。要求应答者指出在过去三个月中经历过哪些症状。
女性平均报告 7.8 种症状，男性报告 5.3 种（p<0.0001）。女性报告的 30 种症状中有 24 种比男性更常见。在多变量分析中，男女都确定了 4 种流行率随年龄变化的模式；即患病率增加、减少、稳定和双峰模式。各种模式组中的症状在男女之间略有不同。然而，与压力相关的症状在随年龄下降的症状中较为突出。此外，还存在长期趋势。在所有报告症状中，男性（p<0.001）和女性（p<0.0001）的患病率随时间推移而增加。
女性报告的总症状流行率高于男性。一般来说，与健康相关的症状随着年龄的增长而增加，而与压力相关的症状则显著下降。发现了关于症状流行率的显著长期随时间变化的趋势。
