Physical symptom bother
What this marker measures
Presence/absence of clinically significant physical symptom bother on the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 Somatic Symptom Severity Scale (PHQ-15).
Health categories/Interpretations informed by this marker
Gut-brain axis
● Visceral hypersensitivity: physical symptom bother may be associated with higher visceral hypersensitivity in individuals with IBS and functional dyspepsia.1–3
Interpreting the result
Patient management insights
Tips for patients discussion
"Your questionnaire responses show that you've been bothered by a number of physical symptoms across your body, not just your gut. This is common, and the gut and nervous system are closely linked. Staying regularly active is one simple step that may help ease this overall symptom load, and we'll look at your other results to see what else might help."
Source references for all clinical associations, interpretation definitions, and patient management insights on this card.
1. Grinsvall, C. et al. Relationships between psychological state, abuse, somatization and visceral pain sensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome. United European Gastroenterol J 6, 300–309 (2018).
2. Dorn, S. D. et al. Increased colonic pain sensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome is the result of an increased tendency to report pain rather than increased neurosensory sensitivity. Gut 56, 1202–1209 (2007).
3. Kowalik, C. G. et al. Painful bladder symptoms related to somatic syndromes in a convenience sample of community women with overactive bladder symptoms. J Urol 200, 1332–1337 (2018).
4. Dahlberg, A. O. et al. Prevalence and clinical characteristics of Norwegians who report persistent health complaints attributed to tick bites or tick-borne diseases. BMC Infect Dis (2025). doi:10.1186/s12879-025-12182-w
5. May, N. et al. The effect of an app-based health intervention on somatic symptoms among employees of the DHL Group: a longitudinal pilot study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 98, 549–572 (2025).