Understanding the symptom experience in chronic conditions
PhD Thesis
Locatelli, G.. (2024). Understanding the symptom experience in chronic conditions [PhD Thesis]. Australian Catholic University Faculty of Health Sciences https://doi.org/10.26199/acu.90673
Authors | Locatelli, G. |
---|---|
Type | PhD Thesis |
Qualification name | Doctor of Philosophy |
Abstract | Background: The World Health Organization defines chronic conditions as those having long duration, slow progression, and requiring some level of healthcare management across time. In 2019, on average, more than 30% of adults across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries had a chronic condition. Due to population aging, this number is projected to continuously increase and cause disability and premature death, making it an important global health concern. Chronically ill people are burdened by several symptoms, which often occur simultaneously. High symptom burden is associated with higher healthcare utilization and hospitalization rates, higher health-care costs, and lower quality of life. People with chronic conditions may improve their clinical outcomes, including symptoms, if they perform adequate self-care to maintain their health, monitor, and manage their symptoms. However, patients often find it difficult to perform self-care and, in these cases, caregivers could help. Moreover, accumulating evidence suggests that people with a chronic condition experience difficulties in perceiving their symptoms, which, in turn, is associated with distorted or exaggerated symptom burden. This might be related to illness-induced interoceptive impairments. Interoception refers to the processes through which the brain detects, elaborates, and responds to signals originating from within the body, including symptoms. In chronic conditions, some brain structures, such as the insular cortex, tend to be damaged and this leads to interoceptive alterations, which, in turn, results in symptom-processing deficits. |
Keywords | Symptoms; Chronic Conditions; Interoception; Self Care; Heart Failure; Caregivers. |
Year | 2024 |
Publisher | Australian Catholic University |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.26199/acu.90673 |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 1-119 |
Final version | License File Access Level Open |
Supplementary Files (Layperson Summary) | License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 12 Apr 2024 |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 02 Apr 2024 |
Deposited | 15 Apr 2024 |
Additional information | This work © 2023, Giulia Locatelli. |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/90673/understanding-the-symptom-experience-in-chronic-conditions
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Locatelli_2024_Understanding_the_symptom_experience_in_chronic.pdf | |
License: CC BY 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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Supplementary Files (Layperson Summary)
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