PubMed ID:
4048361
Public Release Type:
Journal
Publication Year: 1985
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-198503000-00006
Authors:
Foster G,
Glassman J,
Rosato E,
Stunkard A
Studies:
Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery
The possibility that patients may retrospectively exaggerate the severity of complaints that they have experienced has not been systematically investigated. The validity of retrospective reports was called into question by a study of vomiting following gastric bypass surgery for obesity. Such vomiting occurred relatively infrequently--no more than 3.4 times per week, even during the first postoperative month. At a 6-month follow-up, however, some patients reported that they had experienced very high rates of vomiting postoperatively, in direct contradiction to their earlier reports. Such retrospective exaggeration has apparently contributed to the widespread belief that vomiting following gastric bypass surgery is a serious problem. We believe that this report is the first to describe retrospective exaggeration of symptoms. Further research is needed to assess the extent of this problem.