| Abstract/Notes |
Objective: This paper outlines a number of obscure symptoms presenting in a clinical setting. These are usually quite distinct from the more commonly recognised symptoms one would generally find in practice. The patient-described symptoms were deemed “unclassified”, and viewed as one of the motivating factors behind their initial presentation to their chiropractor. Patients would present for initial consultation, or maintenance, preventive, symptomatic, or episodic care, in their usual manner. The topic led to a discussion on defining a symptom, just what qualifies as a symptom, and indeed what qualifies as a disease. Method: Most of the symptoms listed here were compiled as a result of an informal survey of patients. However, patient case history records were also sourced. In addition, some non-surveyed patient-reported symptoms were also recorded. In the informal survey, patients were asked to respond to the question of “What benefit do you get from ongoing chiropractic care?” Review: Apart from the published papers, a review of a number of dictionary definitions was also conducted. We were surprised at the number of papers relating to “unclassified symptoms” and “non-diseases”. Discussion: Informal subjective, atypical symptoms may present as health complaints in varying degrees of severity. Experience and empirical evidence would indicate notable efficacy in explaining and ameliorating many such symptoms under the chiropractic model of spine-related health care, there being no specifically designated ICD classification for most of the symptoms listed here. Conclusion: As some chiropractic terminology is now included in the ICD, it would be appropriate to include further terms associated with the profession. Categorisation of symptoms may need to be broadened to accommodate an apparent limitation of current classification due to the high percentage of unclassified symptoms. This would necessitate defining the condition to which the symptom relates. This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; full text by subscription.
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