Prevalence of Disease Symptoms in Slovenian Adult Population and Factors Associated with their Prevalence

Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the most common disease symptoms in the Slovenian adult population, to determine their prevalence and to identify the demographic and other factors associated with higher prevalence of the symptoms. Methods. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using computer assisted telephone interviewing - CATI thatcovered questions about the prevalence of 23 disease symptoms in the past month, their duration and general demographic information. The sample included 1,002 interviewees (age 15 - 90). Results. The results showed that the most common symptoms among Slovenian people are back pain (409 interviewees - 40.8%), joint pain (334 interviewees - 33.4%), excessive fatigue (308 interviewees - 30.7%), nervousness (285 interviewees - 28.4%), headache (280 interviewees - 27.9%), irritability (261 interviewees - 26.1%) and insomnia (259 interviewees - 25.8%). Disease symptoms occurred more often in women, the elderly, people with lower education and lower income, theunemployed, retired people and people with a chronic disease. The independent predictive factors for the presence of any symptoms were female gender and chronic disease. Conclusions. The prevalence of disease symptoms troubling the adult Slovenian population is high, as 77.3% of people suffer from at least one symptom. The study showed the population groups thatare most heavily burdened (females, the elderly, chronic patients, people with lower socio-economic status) and to which more attention should be paid in primary health care and prevention.