Somatic symptoms and depression in general practice in Italy.

Among primary care attenders, depression is a common and debilitating disturbance. These patients imply higher medical costs compared with those without depression, even after controlling for comorbid physical illness. A study performed in 15 countries worldwide has shown that ICD-10 mental disorders were present in 24% of primary care attenders. Detection and management of depression in primary care have received increasing attention. Most individuals with depression have been shown to consult their GPs for somatic symptoms rather than psychological ones. In the study mentioned above, 69% of the depressed patients reported only somatic symptoms. Another study found that GPs were able to diagnose a mental disorder in 90% of subjects presenting psychopathological symptoms and in 50% of those with somatic symptoms. In the light of the above, the Italian College of General Practitioners (Società Italiana di Medicina Generale-SIMG) in the area of Varese (north of Italy) organised a course on depression. Then a study was carried out in our setting. The aim was to evaluate the frequency of depression in patients who seek care for somatic symptoms, where tests showed that these symptoms were without an organic cause

Breakthrough Cancer Pain: Preliminary Data of The Italian Oncologic Pain Multisetting Multicentric Survey (IOPS-MS)

Introduction: An ongoing national multicenter survey [Italian Oncologic Pain multiSetting Multicentric Survey (IOPS-MS)] is evaluating the characteristics of breakthrough cancer pain (BTP) in different clinical settings. Preliminary data from the first 1500 cancer patients with BTP enrolled in this study are presented here. Methods: Thirty-two clinical centers are involved in the survey. A diagnosis of BTP was performed by a standard algorithm. Epidemiological data, Karnofsky index, stage of disease, presence and sites of metastases, ongoing oncologic treatment, and characteristics of background pain and BTP and their treatments were recorded. Background pain and BTP intensity were measured. Patients were also questioned about BTP predictability, BTP onset (≤10 or >10 min), BTP duration, background and BTP medications and their doses, time to meaningful pain relief after BTP medication, and satisfaction with BTP medication. The occurrence of adverse reactions was also assessed, as well as mucosal toxicity. Results: Background pain was well controlled with opioid treatment (numerical rating scale 3.0 ± 1.1). Patients reported 2.5 ± 1.6 BTP episodes/day with a mean intensity of 7.5 ± 1.4 and duration of 43 ± 40 min; 977 patients (65.1%) reported non-predictable BTP, and 1076 patients (71.7%) reported a rapid onset of BTP (≤10 min). Higher patient satisfaction was reported by patients treated with fast onset opioids. Conclusions: These preliminary data underline that the standard algorithm used is a valid tool for a proper diagnosis of BTP in cancer patients. Moreover, rapid relief of pain is crucial for patients’ satisfaction. The final IOPS-MS data are necessary to understand relationships between BTP characteristics and other clinical variables in oncologic patients. Funding: Molteni Farmaceutici, Italy