Gjørup T, Hendriksen C, Lund E, Strømgård E
Medical Gastroenterological Department C, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(12):1095-8. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90076-2.
In a survey of people living at home, aged 77 years and over, a total of 126 women and 77 men were interviewed concerning their attitudes to their physical symptoms. For each organ system the subjects indicated whether their symptoms were considered to be a normal condition for elderly people or a manifestation of a disease. To a large extent symptoms were accepted as a normal condition, however, a highly significant difference in their attitudes to symptoms stemming from different systems was found (p less than 0.001). Generally, compared with severe symptoms, mild symptoms were accepted more readily as a normal condition in old age. Although most of the elderly people had seen a doctor because of their symptoms, a highly significant difference was found in consultation rates among elderly persons with symptoms from different organ systems (p less than 0.001). The attitudes to symptoms influenced the tendency of the subjects to consult a doctor (p less than 0.05). The need for education of elderly people and health professionals is discussed.
在一项针对77岁及以上居家老人的调查中，共采访了126名女性和77名男性，询问他们对自身身体症状的态度。对于每个器官系统，受试者需表明他们的症状被认为是老年人的正常状况还是疾病的表现。在很大程度上，症状被视为正常状况，然而，发现他们对源自不同系统的症状的态度存在极显著差异（p小于0.001）。一般来说，与严重症状相比，轻微症状在老年时更容易被视为正常状况。尽管大多数老年人因症状看过医生，但不同器官系统有症状的老年人的就诊率存在极显著差异（p小于0.001）。对症状的态度影响了受试者咨询医生的倾向（p小于0.05）。文中讨论了对老年人和健康专业人员进行教育的必要性。
