From the Guidelines
Common symptoms presented during primary care visits include fever, fatigue, cough, headache, abdominal pain, back pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, sore throat, and joint pain. Patients also frequently report anxiety, depression, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, rashes, and urinary symptoms such as frequency or burning 1. Upper respiratory symptoms are particularly common, especially during cold and flu season, while chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia often present with few symptoms but are detected through routine screening 1. Mental health concerns have become increasingly prevalent in primary care settings, with patients seeking help for stress, anxiety, and depression 1. Many patients present with multiple symptoms simultaneously, requiring primary care providers to prioritize and address the most concerning issues first. The frequency of these symptoms reflects the broad scope of primary care medicine, which serves as the first point of contact for most health concerns and manages both acute illnesses and chronic conditions across all body systems and age groups. Some specific symptoms that are commonly presented in primary care visits include:
- Respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and shortness of breath 1
- Gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation 1
- Musculoskeletal symptoms such as back pain, joint pain, and muscle weakness
- Mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress 1
- Urinary symptoms such as frequency, burning, and incontinence
- Skin symptoms such as rashes, itching, and skin lesions.
From the FDA Drug Label
ADVERSE REACTIONS The most frequent type of adverse reaction occurring with ibuprofen tablets is gastrointestinal. In controlled clinical trials the percentage of patients reporting one or more gastrointestinal complaints ranged from 4% to 16% Adverse reactions observed during controlled clinical trials at an incidence greater than 1% are listed in the table Those reactions listed in Column one encompass observations in approximately 3,000 patients. More than 500 of these patients were treated for periods of at least 54 weeks. Still other reactions occurring less frequently than 1 in 100 were reported in controlled clinical trials and from marketing experience These reactions have been divided into two categories: Column two of the table lists reactions with therapy with ibuprofen tablets where the probability of a causal relationship exists: for the reactions in Column three, a causal relationship with ibuprofen tablets has not been established Reported side effects were higher at doses of 3200 mg/day than at doses of 2400 mg or less per day in clinical trials of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
The common symptoms presented during primary care visits include:
- Gastrointestinal complaints
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Edema
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Bloating and flatulence
- Epigastric pain
- Dyspepsia
- Melena
- Hematemesis
- Skin rash
- Blurred and/or diminished vision
- Scotomata and/or changes in color vision 2 2
From the Research
Common Symptoms in Primary Care
- Fatigue 3, 4, 5
- Headache 3, 4, 5, 6
- Cough 3, 7, 5
- Back pain 7, 5, 6
- Abdominal symptoms 7, 5, 6
- Fever 3, 7, 5
- Sore throat 3, 5
- Myalgia or arthralgia 3
- Dermatitis 7, 5
- Pharyngitis 7
- Leg symptoms 7
- Unspecified respiratory concerns 7
- Dizziness 6
- Edema 6
- Dyspnea 6
- Insomnia 6
- Numbness 6
- Impotence 6
- Weight loss 6
- Constipation 6
Symptom Categories
- Systemic: fever, fatigue, myalgia or arthralgia 3
- Respiratory: cough, sore throat, dyspnea 3, 5, 6
- Gastrointestinal: abdominal symptoms, diarrhea, vomiting 7, 5
- Cardiovascular: chest pain 6