Suboptimal health: a new health dimension for translational medicine

TLDR

Disease‑related biomarkers rely on defining normality, yet human health studies are hampered by heterogeneity and uncontrollability, making consistent characterization of normal population parameters essential for normalizing individual differences. The study aims to characterize suboptimal health status (SHS), a new public health problem in individuals with ambiguous complaints, to address the limitation that self‑claimed normality may mask early chronic diseases. The authors used clinical informatics to develop a questionnaire for measuring SHS. In a pilot and a cross‑sectional study of 3,405 participants, the questionnaire (SHSQ‑25) proved valid and reliable, distinguishing several abnormal conditions and serving as a translational medicine instrument for general population health measurement.

Abstract

One critical premise of disease-related biomarkers is the definition of the counterpart normality. Contrary to pre-clinical models that can be carefully tailored according to scientific need, heterogeneity and uncontrollability is the essence of humans in health studies. Fully characterization of consistent parameters that define the normal population is the basis to individual differences normalization irrelevant to a given disease process. Self claimed normal status may not represent health because asymptomatic subjects may carry chronic diseases or diseases at their early stage such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension.This paper exemplifies the characterization of the suboptimal health status (SHS) which represents a new public health problem in a population with ambiguous health complaints such as general weakness, unexplained medical syndrome and chronic fatigue. We applied clinical informatics approaches and developed a questionnaire for measuring SHS. The validity and reliability of this approach were evaluated in a small pilot study and then in a cross-sectional study of 3,405 individuals.The final questionnaire congregated into a score (SHSQ-25) which could significantly distinguish among several abnormal conditions.SHSQ-25 could be used as a translational medicine instrument for health measuring in the general population.