Tenderness, the most problematic symptom for FM patients, was significantly higher than both sensitivity (P < 0.004) and memory (P < 0.001).
Incontinence is reported as the most problematic symptom to manage by family carers of people with dementia [ 1].
Our findings document and quantify that pain is the most prominent clinical feature for FM patients, with fatigue being the next most problematic symptom; this confirms the findings of other studies [ 20, 47, 48].
At days 2-4 when symptoms remain most problematic, there was similar pattern (that is, frequency and unwell groups of symptoms, Cronbach's α=0.79 and 0.86, respectively).
A reliable instrument should also assess the symptoms being most problematic or of most concern, and target the subjects that are not affected by the symptoms in the questionnaire.
Only a fraction of men with low testosterone develop problematic symptoms, whereas most menopausal women experience at least a few hot flashes.
These extrapyramidal symptoms, the most problematic side effects of haloperidol, show evidence of familial clustering (Yassa and Ananth 1981; O'Callaghan et al. 1990; Müller et al. 2001), but their heritability in humans remains unestimated.
Using the FACT-ES (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy or FACT-B, plus ES, an 18-item five-point endocrine subscale), eight symptoms that were most problematic for >10% of the patients included: hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, loss of interest in sex, weight gain, bloatedness, breast sensitivity and mood swings (Fallowfield et al, 1999).
Questions are directed principally at the participants' most problematic knee (index knee) and cover aspects of the history of knee problem, current knee symptoms, family history of joint problems, patient causal and diagnostic attribution, and selected current and previous treatment.
