Table 7 Concepts identified in the literature review
From: Development of a symptom assessment in patients with myelofibrosis: qualitative study findings
Concept | Concept description |
|---|---|
Night sweats [1, 2, 12, 13, 15, 17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26, 28,29,30,31,32, 34, 35, 37,38,39, 41] (including nocturnal sweats) | Episodes of nighttime sweating that soak your nightclothes or bedding and are related to some underlying cause |
Fatigue [2, 13, 15, 17, 19,20,21,22, 24,25,26,27,28,29,30, 33,34,35,36,37,38,39, 41] | Feeling of tiredness that lasts a long time and doesn’t go away even after rest |
Itching [1, 2, 12, 13, 15, 17,18,19,20,21,22, 24, 26, 28, 38, 39, 41] | Skin tingling or irritation that makes one want to scratch the itchy area |
Bone pain [1, 2, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20,21,22, 24,25,26, 28, 32, 34, 37, 39, 41] (including bone tenderness) | Aching or other discomfort in one or more bones |
Weight loss [2, 12, 13, 15,16,17, 19, 21, 23,24,25, 28,29,30, 34, 37, 38] (Including undesired weight loss, weight loss attributed to gastric ulcer) | Decrease in body weight, when one did not try to lose the weight on their own |
Fever [2, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21, 23,24,25, 28,29,30, 35, 37, 38] | Body temperature that is higher than normal |
Abdominal discomfort/pain [1, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24,25,26, 28, 34, 37,38,39, 41] | Pain/discomfort in the area from below one’s chest to groin |
Early satiety [1, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 28, 33, 34, 39, 41] | Feeling full sooner than normal or after eating less than usual |
Pain under left ribs [1, 2, 16, 18, 22, 26, 28, 39, 41] (including spleen pain, left upper quadrant/subcostal pain, occasional pain or discomfort from the enlarged spleen) | Pain or discomfort located under the ribs on the side of the abdomen |
Feeling of not getting enough air (shortness of breath) | |
Reduced desire to eat | |
Feeling triggered in the nervous system. It may be sharp or dull, it may come and go, or it may be constant. It may be felt in one area of the body, such as the back, abdomen or chest or may be felt all over | |
Reflex that keeps one’s throat and airways clear | |
Involves more than one muscle and can involve ligaments, tendons, and fascia, the soft tissues that connect muscles, bones, and organs | |
Pain in any region of the head | |
Abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or legs | |
Having three or fewer bowel movements in a week. The stool can be hard and dry and sometimes it is painful to pass | |
Having loose, watery stools more than three times in 1 day. One may also have cramps, bloating, nausea and an urgent need to have a bowel movement | |
Becoming too thin, but one doesn’t eat enough | |
Dizziness is a feeling of being lightheaded or losing your balance. Vertigo is a feeling that the room is spinning | |
An uneasy or unsettled feeling in the stomach together with an urge to vomit | |
Swelling of extremities (arms and legs) | |
Altered bowels [25] | Altered movement of food through the digestive tract. This could be in the form of diarrhea, constipation or bowel incontinence |
Altered consciousness [28] | Altered awareness |
Delirium [28] | Sudden severe confusion due to rapid changes in brain function that occur with physical or mental illness |
Easy bruising [37] | Bleeding episodes |
Palpitations [28] (including compensatory tachycardia) | Feelings or sensations that your heart is pounding or racing. They can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck |
Photophobia [28] | Eye discomfort in bright light |
Sweats [16] | Sweating is the release of liquid from the body’s sweat glands. Patients may experience excessive sweating due to MF |
Abdominal swelling [14] | When the belly area is bigger than usual |
Vomiting [20] | Forcing the contents of the stomach up through the esophagus and out of the mouth |
Weakness [28] | Reduced strength in one or more muscles |