Judith Rosmalen, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose
Functional Somatic Syndromes (FSS) are diagnosed based on the presence of a specific combination of otherwise unexplained somatic symptoms. FSS are common, costly and disabling. Each medical specialty seems to have at least one FSS; examples include fibromyalgia in rheumatology and irritable bowel syndrome in gastroenterology. It has been argued that a substantial overlap exists between the individual syndromes, in case definition, in reported symptoms, in risk factors, and in response to treatment. In this lecture, these similarities and their implications are revisited. The scientific problems arising from symptom-based diagnostic criteria will be discussed. Using data of the Lifelines population cohort, the similarities and differences between FSS will be empirically investigated with the aim to explore whether FSS are might indeed be an artefact of medical specialization and reflect variants of a general syndrome, or whether they are more likely to reflect different disease entities. Finally, the Innovative Training Network ETUDE will be described, that enables a new generation of 15 early stage researchers to be trained and to interact in a unique manner, in a European network of 30 partners, with the ultimate aim to improve care for patients with FSS.
