@article{ref1,
title="High prevalence of symptoms in a severely abused "non-patient" women population",
journal="United European gastroenterology journal",
year="2014",
author="Pallotta, N. and Piacentino, D. and Ciccantelli, B. and Rivera, M. and Golini, N. and Spagnoli, A. and Vincoli, G. and Farchi, S. and Corazziari, Es",
volume="2",
number="6",
pages="513-521",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to assess the prevalence of somatic symptoms and of gastrointestinal (GI) syndromes in abused &quot;non-patient&quot; women and the association with the time of perpetration, type, and severity of abuse. <br><br>METHODS: Sixty-seven women, 18-58 years, receiving shelter in anti-violence associations were invited to fill out an anonymous questionnaire with a medical and an abuse section. The severity of abuse was expressed as the 0-6 Abuse Severity Measure (ASM). The association between abuse characteristics and the number of symptoms, and GI syndromes was assessed by Poisson regression model. <br><br>RESULTS: Most women suffered from childhood and adulthood sexual and physical abuse. They reported a mean of 5.1 GI symptoms (range 0-13; median 5; IQR 6) and of 1.3 extra-GI symptoms (range 0-6; median 1; IQR 2); 30% of women matched the Rome II Criteria for one, 36% for two, and 4.4% for three or more syndromes, respectively. Women with an ASM of 5-6, having suffered from both sexual and physical abuse, reported significantly (p = 0.02) more GI symptoms, but not extra-GI ones (p = 0.07), and met criteria for more GI syndromes than women with an ASM ≤4 and those reporting only one type of abuse. No association was found between the time of perpetration of the abuse and the number of GI and extra-GI symptoms. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms in abused &quot;non-patient&quot; women mainly concern the abdomen and the GI tract. A history of severe, combined physical and sexual abuse is associated with a higher number of GI symptoms.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2050-6406",
doi="10.1177/2050640614552010",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2050640614552010"
}