Abstract
Patients with medically unexplained symptoms make up a significant proportion of patients in general practice and can be very burdensome for doctors and the whole health and social care system. In this review, the authors summarize the most important current knowledge about the incidence, causes, and mechanisms of physical complaints without an organic cause, the characteristics of patients with these complaints, and their prognosis.
In addition, the authors focus on the diagnostic and therapeutic options for these patients, particularly interventions applicable in primary care. Finally, they discuss this issue in the Czech context, present their research agenda and call for changes that would lead to improved care of patients with medically unexplained symptoms.