The association of daily physical symptoms with future health.

RATIONALE Daily physical symptoms play a critical role in health and illness experiences. Despite their daily prevalence, the ability of these symptoms to predict future health status is debated. OBJECTIVE The current study examined whether physical symptom reports predict future health outcomes independent of trait measures of emotion. METHODS Participants (N = 1189) who completed both Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Surveys I and II as well as the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) reported their daily physical symptoms at baseline and number of reported chronic conditions and functional disability nearly 10 years later. RESULTS Physical symptoms at baseline significantly predicted the occurrence of chronic conditions and functional impairment at long-term follow-up, even after adjusting for self-reported affect, self-reported health, and previous health status. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that daily physical symptoms are unique indicators of future health status.