Linked Life Data

7052409

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/7052409

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1983-6-23
pubmed:abstractText
The purpose of this study was to identify clinical characteristics that could predict the diagnosis in ambulatory patients with abdominal pain. We studied 552 unselected ambulatory male patients whose average age was 47 years and whose median duration of pain was 3 weeks. Potentially serious disease occurred in 21% of the patients. Single abnormal findings had a low predictive value for serious disease. However, by using combinations of clinical findings, we could construct and test a decision rule to identify a group of patients who had a low prevalence of serious disease. This "low risk" group contained 36% of all patients with abdominal pain. Laboratory tests were almost always normal in these patients. Our findings suggest a diagnostic strategy for evaluating abdominal pain: When the initial examination shows that there is little chance of serious disease, laboratory tests should be deferred or omitted altogether. In patients who have a very low likelihood of potentially serious disease, it may be useful to regard "nonspecific abdominal pain" as a positive diagnosis, rather than a diagnosis of exclusion.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0272-989X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
1
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
215-24
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1981
pubmed:articleTitle
The diagnosis of abdominal pain in ambulatory male patients.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article