Living with unexplained symptoms

When most people have medical concerns, a review of symptoms, a medical exam and perhaps testing can lead to a diagnosis and treatment. But some people have symptoms — often nonspecific and prolonged — that are not so straightforward. In fact, millions of Americans live with what has been termed “undiagnosed illness” and “medically unexplained symptoms” — or their condition is categorized as a “somatic symptom disorder.”

Common unexplained symptoms include:

Most people with this constellation of symptoms will have started their healthcare journey in the emergency department or with their primary care team. Many will have been referred on to specialists. Labs, tests, maybe imaging and even diagnostic procedures will have been ordered — all of which failed to reveal an explanation.