Transient ischaemic attacks: desired diagnosis and management by Polish primary care physicians.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the competence of Polish primary care physicians in diagnosing and managing patients with transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) in the carotid territory. METHOD: A written questionnaire was distributed to all first-contact physicians (n = 100) in one of the seven health care districts of Warsaw (response rate 89%). The questionnaire included three pairs of TIA cases. In each of the pairs, only the age and type varied. Three cases were characterized by transient monocular blindness and the other three by symptoms of hemispheral ischaemia. RESULTS: Physicians confronted with TIA cases had difficulties in diagnosing it. In the cases of monocular blindness, only 20-44% of cases were diagnosed correctly, and hemispheral ischaemia was diagnosed correctly in 46-78% of cases. Patients with no history of non-specific symptoms and with the first attack would have a higher percentage of correct diagnoses in comparison with those with recurrent attacks and a history of non-specific symptoms. Patients with hemispheral ischaemia frequently would be referred to neurologists, and about two-thirds of doctors would refer patients with monocular blindness to ophthalmologists, and fewer than half to neurologists. Antiplatelet therapy would be prescribed by <22% of physicians, while peripheral vasodilatators would be prescribed by up to 60% of them. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that Polish primary care physicians when confronted with TIA cases would have basic difficulties, especially in diagnosis and management. These results underline the need for changes in the vocational training of primary care physicians, with special attention to frequent family medicine problems.

Variation in diagnosis and management of common foot problems by GPs.

BACKGROUND: There are indications that the diagnosis and management of common foot problems vary widely in general practice. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to explore the variation of GPs' diagnosis and management of common foot problems and the possible correlation between GPs' characteristics and their competence to diagnose correctly. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, 90 GPs in The Netherlands were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding seven vignettes with common foot problems (hallux valgus, hallux rigidus, fasciitis plantaris, tarsal tunnel syndrome, metatarsalgia, corns and calluses, and rheumatoid arthritis), combined with questions covering diagnoses, management options and some GP characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 72 GPs responded (80%). They most often diagnosed hallux valgus (79%) and rheumatoid arthritis (86%) correctly, and most often hallux rigidus (37%) and tarsal tunnel syndrome (74%) incorrectly. GP characteristics did not correlate with their competence in diagnosing. The most frequently suggested management was referral to a podiatrist. The referral rate to medical specialists was low, except in the case of rheumatoid arthritis (79%). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the GPs were competent in diagnosing vignettes of common foot problems. This diagnostic competence showed great variation and was not associated independently with GP characteristics. Educational programmes are recommended. Management showed less variation and often included referral to podiatrists. Further research into the effectiveness of specific treatments for different foot problems is recommended.

Health care utilisation by older people with non-traumatic foot complaints. What makes the difference?

OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors associated with the type of health care chosen by elderly people suffering from non-traumatic foot complaints. DESIGN: Cross-sectional mailed survey. SETTING: Population-based random sample of 7200 people aged > or = 65 years in The Netherlands. SUBJECTS: 1130 people > or = 65 years with non-traumatic foot complaints for 4 weeks or more. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of non-(para)medical care (i.e. no care at all, self-care and chiropodial care) versus (para)medical care (i.e. care given by paramedical personnel, general practitioners and medical specialists). RESULTS: Six of every 10 respondents sought (para)medical care, half of these visited the GP. Factors associated with the use of (para)medical care were foot-related limitations (adj OR 3.18; 95% CI 2.26-4.46), painful feet (adj OR 1.55; 1.09-2.23), and foot osteoarthritis (adj OR 1.88; 1.32-2.68). (Para)medical care was sought less often than non-(para)medical care for forefoot complaints (adj OR 0.56; 0.41-0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly people with non-traumatic foot complaints did not seem to underreport their problems to (para)medical care providers. Furthermore, they appeared to select the appropriate type of care. Future studies will have to assess the effectiveness of the care provided.

Dyspepsia in primary care: acid suppression as effective as prokinetic therapy. A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: While dyspeptic patients in primary care often receive empirical treatment with antisecretory drugs, a substantial number suffer from motility disturbances which may be associated with their complaints. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of treatment with antisecretory treatment with a prokinetic agent in uninvestigated dyspepsia. METHODS: 563 patients presenting dyspeptic complaints to the general practitioner with a low likelihood of organic (ulcer, reflux or malignant) disease, i.e. absence of alarm symptoms or a history of peptic ulcer disease or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease were included. They entered a randomized, double-blind trial of 4 weeks of ranitidine 150 mg bid compared with 4 weeks of cisapride 10 mg bid, with 3 months follow-up. Treatment failure was defined as no response to treatment or a relapse of symptoms within the follow-up period. Also studied were the effect on dyspepsia severity, response to treatment after 4 weeks, and time to relapse. RESULTS: For all randomized patients, the incidence of overall treatment success after 3 months follow-up with antisecretory treatment was 107/271 (39.5%) and with a prokinetic agent 122/282 (43.3%); the risk difference was 3.8% (95% CI -4.4% to 12.0%); the difference in symptom severity score after 4 weeks of treatment was 0.3; 95% CI -0.4% to 1.0%. For patients responding to 4 weeks of treatment, relapse-free time was 86 days in the prokinetic group and 79 days in the acid suppression group (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Antisecretory and prokinetic therapies are equally effective in primary care patients with uninvestigated dyspeptic complaints, though relapse rates are lower in patients treated with prokinetic treatment.

[Analysis of expert reports from a general practice expert in disciplinary cases and malpractice claims against family practitioners (1994-2000): a lesson for clinical practice]. / Analyse van expertiserapporten van één huisarts-deskundige bij tuchtzaken en schadeclaims tegen huisartsen (1994-2000): lessen voor de praktijk.

Of the reports issued by a general practice expert for disciplinary and malpractice cases in the period 1994 to August 2000, 76 were analysed, with the emphasis on the more serious cases. Infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases together formed 42% of the cases judged. The starting point of the analysis was the practice of an 'average general practitioner'. On the basis of jurisprudence and general practice literature, failure to diagnose a rare illness was not automatically regarded as reproachable but failing to estimate the seriousness of a situation was. In the first place it was checked whether or not general practitioner had adequately estimated the seriousness of the situation by paying due attention to the alarm signals and risk factors and in the case of diagnostic doubts by ensuring adequate follow-up. According to the analysis, 41% of the cases clearly exhibited reproachable conduct. This figure was twice as high when a locum was working at a practice. Two-thirds of the primary errors were due to the seriousness of the situation not being adequately estimated as a result of too little attention being paid to alarm signals and risk factors as well as a failure to ensure adequate follow-up. On the basis of the analysis it is advised that the use of a locum should be regarded as a risk situation: better information can be made available by means of an electronic patient file and unequivocal agreements for drawing up reports. For each consultation, the GP must systematically check whether there are alarm signals or risk factors. In the case of diagnostic doubts the clinical picture should be actively followed up by means of clear follow-up appointments at definite times. In the guidelines of the Netherlands Society for General Practitioners, explicit attention should be given to alarm signals and risk factors. In medical training and ongoing professional education, systematic training should be provided in the recognition of serious situations and rare diseases/complications.

How useful is selection based on alarm symptoms in requesting gastroscopy? An evaluation of diagnostic determinants for gastro-oesophageal malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: To derive and evaluate diagnostic determinants of gastro-oesophageal malignancy as a means of helping family physicians select patients for 'open-access' gastroscopy. In this multicenter study, 861 consecutive patients were investigated with first-time gastroscopy (study population). Another 1153 patients were studied during the next 6 years (validation population). General practitioners registered symptoms relevant to malignancy and patient histories; the results of gastroscopies were received from the endoscopists. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate analyses resulted in four relevant symptoms that were then compared with 'alarm symptoms' previously published in the literature. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the probability of finding malignancy using these two sets of symptoms. RESULTS: Positive answers regarding the symptoms, weight loss and dysphagia, together with negative answers on pain during the night and heartburn, predicted malignancy in the study population with an AUC (area under the curve) of 0.90. 'Alarm symptoms' performed less well in the study population (AUC 0.85), although reproducibility was better in the validation population (0.71 versus 0.63). If exclusion of malignancy had been chosen as the only valid reason for requesting gastroscopy, then pre-selection with the help of these symptoms would have reduced the number of requests by 10%. CONCLUSION: Thorough evaluation of 'classical' alarm symptoms in dyspeptic patients might help minimize unnecessary gastroscopy requests by GPs seeking a safe treatment decision.

Potentially virulent strains and high colony counts of group A beta-haemolytic streptococci in pharyngitis patients having a delayed recovery or a complication.

T serotyping and M and exotoxin genotyping were performed on strains from 367 streptococcal pharyngitis patients in Dutch general practice. Potentially virulent strains of group A beta-haemolytic streptococci, such as T1M1 and T3M3 subtypes and strains expressing speA and speC, and a high number of colony counts did not occur more frequently in the 166 (45%) more seriously ill patients, defined as those who showed a delayed recovery or a complication.

A cross-national study of acute otitis media: risk factors, severity, and treatment at initial visit. Report from the International Primary Care Network (IPCN) and the Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network (ASPN).

BACKGROUND: Treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) differs worldwide. The Dutch avoid antimicrobials unless fever and pain persist; the British use them for 5 to 7 days, and Americans use them for 10 days. If effects of therapies are to be compared, it is necessary to evaluate rates of risk factors, severity of attacks, and their influence on treatment decisions. We wanted to compare the prevalence of risk factors for AOM and evaluate their association with severity of attacks and of severity with antimicrobial treatment. METHODS: We undertook a prospective cohort study of 2,165 patients with AOM enrolled by primary care physicians; 895 were enrolled from North America, 571 were enrolled from the United Kingdom, and 699 were enrolled from The Netherlands. The literature was searched using the key words "acute otitis media," "severity," and "international comparisons." RESULTS: The prevalence of several AOM risk factors differs significantly among patients from the three country networks; these factors include race, parent smoking habits, previous episodes, previous episodes without a physician visit, tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy, frequency of upper respiratory tract infections, day care, and recumbent bottle-feeding. Dutch children have the most severe attacks as defined by fever, ear discharge, decreased hearing during the previous week, and moderate or severe ear pain. In country-adjusted univariate analyses, increasing age, exposure to tobacco smoke, day care, previous attacks of AOM, previous attacks without physician care, past prophylactic antimicrobials, ear tubes, adenoidectomy, and tonsillectomy all contribute to severity. Only country network, age, history of AOM, previous episode without physician care, and history of adenoidectomy and tympanostomy tubes are independently related to increased severity, while current breast-feeding is protective. Severity of attacks influences treatment decisions. Dutch children are least likely to receive antimicrobials, and even for severe attacks the British and Dutch physicians usually use amoxicillin or trimethoprim-sulfa; North American children with severe attacks are more likely to receive a broad-spectrum second-line antimicrobial. CONCLUSION: Dutch children have the highest ratings in all severity measures, possibly reflecting parental decisions about care seeking for earaches. When comparing groups of patients with AOM, it is necessary to adjust for baseline characteristics. Severity of episode affects physician treatment decisions. Adoption of Dutch guidelines restricting use of antimicrobials for AOM in the United States could result in annual savings of about $185 million.

Nontraumatic foot complaints in older people. A population-based survey of risk factors, mobility, and well-being.

In a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in the Netherlands of 7,200 people aged 65 years and older (with a response rate of 79%), 20% of the respondents were found to have nontraumatic foot complaints of more than 4 weeks' duration, often involving the forefoot. Female sex, joint disease, and multimorbidity were found to be risk factors for the presence of foot complaints; older age and obesity were not. Respondents with these complaints had limited mobility and poor perceived well-being.

Tympanometry interpretation by primary care physicians. A report from the International Primary Care Network (IPCN) and the Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network (ASPN).

BACKGROUND: The accuracy of data gathered by primary care clinicians in practice-based research networks (PBRNs) has been questioned. Tympanometry, recently recommended as a means of improving accuracy of diagnosing acute otitis media, was included as an objective diagnostic measure in an international PBRN study. We report the level of agreement of interpretations of tympanograms between primary care physicians in PBRNs and experts. METHODS: Primary care physicians in PBRNs in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, and Canada enrolled 1773 children aged 6 to 180 months who contributed 6358 tympanograms during 3179 visits. The physicians were trained in the use and interpretation of tympanometry using the Modified Jerger Classification. We determined the level of agreement between physicians and experts for interpretation of tympanograms. One comparison used the 6358 individual ear tracings. A second comparison used the 3179 office visits by children as the unit of analysis. RESULTS: The distribution of expert interpretation of all tympanograms was: 35.8% A, 30% B, 15.5% C1, 12% C2, and 6.8% uninterpretable; for visits, 37.8% were normal (A or C1), 55.6% abnormal (B or C2), and 6.6% could not be classified. There was a high degree of agreement in the interpretation of tympanograms between experts and primary care physicians across networks (kappa=0.70-0.77), age groups of children (kappa=0.69-0.73), and types of visits (kappa=0.66-0.77). This high degree of agreement was also found when children were used as a unit of analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Interpretations of tympanograms by primary care physicians using the Modified Jerger Classification can be used with confidence. These results provide further evidence that practicing primary care physicians can provide high-quality data for research purposes.

Persistent otitis media with effusion: can it be predicted? A family practice follow-up study in children aged 6 months to 6 years.

BACKGROUND: Otitis media with effusion (OME) has a high rate of spontaneous resolution, and a policy of waiting and watching for 3 months is justified. The decision about further treatment should be individualized, depending on duration and symptoms. Knowledge of the determinants for persistent OME would be helpful for identifying patients with a need for active treatment or increased monitoring for complications. METHODS: A total of 433 children aged 6 months to 6 years were monitored for 3 months in the offices of 57 family physicians. A questionnaire pertaining to determinants was completed. The outcome measures were: presence of unilateral or bilateral OME or bilateral OME after 3 months. The outcome was determined on the basis of tympanometry results. We performed bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The presence of an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) at the follow-up visit was associated with finding OME at that visit. When a URTI was present, no other determinants for persistent OME were found. When absent, the determinants for persistent bilateral OME were: no history of adenoidectomy, an episode of acute otitis media (AOM) in the first year of life, and month of entry into the study (June-November). For persistent unilateral or bilateral OME, the only significant determinant was an episode of AOM in the first year of life. CONCLUSIONS: Childrenwith 1 or more of the following factors need special attention for prevention of the sequelae of persistent OME: no history of adenoidectomy, AOM in the first year of life, and the presence of bilateral OME in the period between June and November.

Beta-haemolytic streptococci isolated from acute sore-throat patients: cause or coincidence? A case-control study in general practice.

As beta-haemolytic streptococci can be cultured in people with and in those without a sore throat, a case-control study was set up in 43 family practices in The Netherlands. The association was tested between the number of colony counts, specific T/M types and exotoxin genes and an acute sore throat. Duplicate throat swabs were taken from 663 sore-throat patients, selected by clinical criteria, and from 694 healthy controls. They were cultured for beta-haemolytic streptococci by combining several updated laboratory methods. Approximately 40% of the controls and 80% of the patients had beta-haemolytic streptococci-positive cultures. When focusing on cultures with high colony counts, not only group A (46%), but also non-group A streptococci (20%), predominated significantly in adult patients compared with controls. No T/M or exotoxin gene type was significantly more prevalent in patients than in controls. Thus, semiquantitative analysis, but not T/M and exotoxin gene typing, showed an association between beta-haemolytic streptococci and active disease. Groups A, C and G streptococci were found to be potentially pathogenic in adult sore-throat patients, and should be included in the discussion on the use of rapid antigen detection tests and penicillin treatment in primary care.

Antimicrobial agents in lower respiratory tract infections in Dutch general practice.

This study describes the prescription of antimicrobial agents in cases of lower respiratory tract infections in Dutch general practice. A secondary analysis of data from the National Study of Illness and Procedures of The Netherlands Institute of Primary Health Care (a nationwide group of 161 general practitioners with data from 334,449 patients) had been carried out. Antimicrobial agents were prescribed in 30% of all contacts: in about half of the first contacts and contacts for recurrences, and in one out of six repeat contacts. The prescription rates were associated with diagnosis and reason for encounter but rarely with older age or comorbidity. Amoxycillin and doxycycline were most frequently prescribed. While most lower respiratory tract infections are virus-induced and antibiotics are not effective in most cases, antimicrobial agents might still be overprescribed.

In-practice evaluation of whole-blood Helicobacter pylori test: its usefulness in detecting peptic ulcer disease.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% of patients presenting with dyspepsia to the general practitioner have peptic ulcers; the large majority of which are related to infection with Helicobactor pylori. Office-based tests for H. pylori detection are generally validated and evaluated in selected patient groups. AIM: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a whole-blood serology test for infection with Helicobacter pylori in detecting peptic ulcer disease (PUD) in daily general practice. METHOD: A descriptive study of 171 primary care dyspepsia patients selected for open-access endoscopy in primary care and aged between 18 and 75 years, in 92 general practices in central, southern, and eastern parts of the Netherlands. H. pylori status was assessed using the BM-test Helicobacter pylori, which is identical to the Helisal test. Dyspepsia severity score was measured using a validated symptom score. Symptom characteristics and probability of relevant disease were assessed by the general practitioner. Endoscopy was carried out in local hospitals. Diagnostic outcome of both endoscopy and H. pylori reference test was supplied by local specialists. The BM-test was evaluated against endoscopic results. RESULTS: A high number (61.8%) of false-negative BM-tests resulted in a low sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] = 48-75%) for detection of H. pylori infection. Only 12 out of 32 patients with PUD had a positive BM-test, resulting in a positive likelihood ratio (LR) for PUD of 1.41 and a negative LR of 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the relatively poor performance of the BM-test in daily general practice, and shows the limited diagnostic value of H. pylori office-tests for detecting PUD in primary care. The discriminative value of the test result is too small to support either a 'test-and-endoscope' of a 'test-and-treat' strategy in general practice.

Primary care based randomised, double blind trial of amoxicillin versus placebo for acute otitis media in children aged under 2 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media in children between 6 months and 2 years of age. DESIGN: Practice based, double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. SETTING: 53 general practices in the Netherlands. SUBJECTS: 240 children aged 6 months to 2 years with the diagnosis of acute otitis media. INTERVENTION: Amoxicillin 40 mg/kg/day in three doses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Persistent symptoms at day four and duration of fever and pain or crying, or both. Otoscopy at days four and 11, tympanometry at six weeks, and use of analgesic. RESULTS: Persistent symptoms at day four were less common in the amoxicillin group (risk difference 13%; 95% confidence interval 1% to 25%). The median duration of fever was two days in the amoxicillin group versus three in the placebo group (P=0.004). No significant difference was observed in duration of pain or crying, but analgesic consumption was higher in the placebo group during the first 10 days (4.1 v 2.3 doses, P=0.004). In addition, no otoscopic differences were observed at days four and 11, and tympanometric findings at six weeks were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Seven to eight children aged 6 to 24 months with acute otitis media needed to be treated with antibiotics to improve symptomatic outcome at day four in one child. This modest effect does not justify prescription of antibiotics at the first visit, provided close surveillance can be guaranteed.

Penicillin for acute sore throat: randomised double blind trial of seven days versus three days treatment or placebo in adults.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether treatment with penicillin for three days and the traditional treatment for seven days were equally as effective at accelerating resolution of symptoms in patients with sore throat compared with placebo. DESIGN: Randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. SETTING: 43 family practices in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: 561 patients, aged 15-60 years, with sore throat for less than seven days and at least three of the four Centor criteria-that is, history of fever, absence of cough, swollen tender anterior cervical lymph nodes, and tonsillar exudate. 142 patients were excluded for medical reasons and 73 needed penicillin. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to penicillin V for seven days, penicillin V for three days followed by placebo for four days, or placebo for seven days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resolution of symptoms in the first week, eradication of bacteria after two weeks, and recurrences of sore throat after two, four, and six months. RESULTS: Symptoms resolved 1.9 and 1.7 days earlier in patients taking penicillin for seven days than in those taking penicillin for three days or placebo respectively. Symptoms resolved 2.5 days earlier in patients with group A streptococci and 1.3 days earlier in patients with high colony counts of non-group A streptococci. 23 (13%) of the placebo group had to be given antibiotics later in the week because of clinical deterioration; three developed a peritonsillar abscess. The eradication rate for group A streptococci was 72% in the seven day penicillin group, 41% in the three day penicillin group, and 7% in the placebo group. Sore throat recurred more often in the three day penicillin group than in the seven day penicillin or placebo groups. CONCLUSION: Penicillin treatment for seven days was superior to treatment for three days or placebo in resolving symptoms of sore throat in patients with group A streptococcal pharyngitis and, possibly, in those with non-group A streptococcal pharyngitis.

Are professional attitudes related to gender and medical specialty?

OBJECTIVES: The importance of professional attitudes in medical care has long been recognized; however, medical training has not stressed attitude development until recently. In previous studies among medical students, we found that gender and specialty preference are important factors in attitudes. In this study, patient-centredness of trainees in general practice and surgery and of final-year clerks preferring one of these specialties was assessed in one medical school in The Netherlands. The effect of gender, specialty and training level on attitude was investigated. DESIGN: In 1995, attitudes of 37 general practice trainees, 31 surgery trainees and 120 clerks were measured anonymously using questionnaires containing the Doctor-Patient Scale. This attitude scale measures patient-centredness vs. doctor-centredness. Response rates were 78%, 58% and 84%, respectively. SETTING: University of Utrecht. SUBJECTS: Medical students. RESULTS: Attitudes were related to specialty. General practice trainees showed more patient-centredness than surgery trainees. In accordance with previous findings among younger students, no differences were found between final-year clerks and vocational trainees. In contrast to previous studies, gender was not related to patient-centredness. CONCLUSIONS: Professional attitudes, in particular patient-centredness, seem to be related to specialty preference in the final year of graduate medical training and specialty as a career choice. It remains unclear whether professional socialization reinforces existing attitudes or whether existing attitudes result in specialty preference.

Tympanometry by general practitioners: reliable?

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of otitis media with effusion (OME) is difficult using only medical history and otoscopy. Tympanometry may, therefore, be helpful in the diagnosis and follow-up of OME in general practice. Studies regarding the reliability of tympanogram production and validation of tympanogram outcome have been performed. OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into the usability of microtympanometry and the degree of agreement and accuracy of tympanogram classification in general practice. METHODS: Data were collected in the offices of 49 general practitioners (GP's). The usability of the microtymp was monitored against a checklist. GP's (39) classified 47 tympanograms according to Jerger's modified classification, designating them as 'OME', 'no OME' or 'interpretion impossible'. The gold standard was the consensus over the 47 tympanograms reached by three doctors very experienced in tympanometry. RESULTS: Of the general practitioners, 61% handled the microtymp faultlessly. The overall inter-observer agreement was moderate to substantial; with respect to the gold standard 74% of the general practitioners had a satisfactory to almost perfect agreement. These results were achieved after instruction and training; longer practice produced no significant improvement in the agreement. CONCLUSION: After training and instruction microtympanometry is a reliable diagnostic instrument in general practice. The classification of tympanograms is satisfactory. Classification problems arise when the curve is not a good one. Additional criteria for the assessment of the curves are proposed.

What makes the dyspeptic patient feel ill? A cross sectional survey of functional health status, Helicobacter pylori infection, and psychological distress in dyspeptic patients in general practice.

BACKGROUND: Dyspepsia is prevalent in about 30% of the general population in Europe, but only 25% of people with complaints consult their general practitioner. AIMS: To study the relation between the severity of dyspeptic complaints and the health status of patients presenting to the general practitioner; and the relation with patient characteristics, Helicobacter pylori infection, and psychological distress. METHODS: A cross sectional, general practice based survey of 360 unselected primary care dyspeptic patients from 92 general practices in The Netherlands was conducted. Symptom severity was measured using a validated symptom score, H pylori using a whole blood test, and psychological distress using the GHQ-12 test. Functional health status was assessed using the COOP/Wonca charts. RESULTS: Symptoms lasting more than three months and presence of relevant psychological distress were both associated with higher levels of dyspepsia. H pylori infection, frequency of symptoms, and age had no influence on dyspepsia severity. Severity of dyspepsia and psychological distress, but not H pylori infection or duration of symptoms, affected health status univariately. Dyspepsia correlated with general health, daily activities, and social activities. In logistic modelling, health status was far better predicted by psychological distress than by dyspepsia severity. CONCLUSION: The relation between dyspeptic symptom severity and health status is limited. H pylori infection relates neither to functional health status, nor to intensity of dyspepsia. Psychological distress is a major determinant of impaired health of dyspeptic patients in general practice and may be the clue to improvement of health status in many dyspeptic patients.