All in the Family: Headaches and Abdominal Pain as Indicators for Consultation Patterns in Families
Ann Fam Med Cardol et al.
4: 506
The Article in Brief
All in the Family: Headaches and Abdominal Pain as Indicators for Consultation Patterns in Families
By Mieke Cardol, PhD, and colleagues
Background This study explores patterns of doctor visits within families. In particular, it looks at whether families have patterns of visits for minor conditions, such as headache or abdominal pain.
What This Study Found Families have shared patterns of doctor visits for headaches and abdominal pain. This clustering of symptoms is most common in mothers and children, particularly daughters.
Implications
- Understanding patients' family context can help primary care doctors better diagnose and care for them. It may also help patients identify and act on patterns of seeking care that are not useful.
- The decision to visit the family doctor for headache or abdominal pain is influenced by behavior in one's family.
