Low back pain - epidemiology of consultations.
Jöud, Anna LU
; Petersson, Ingemar
LU
and Englund, Martin
LU
(2012)
In Arthritis Care and Research
64(7).
p.1084-1088
- Abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) affects most people at some stage in life. However, the burden on the health care system is unclear. We studied: 1) the one-year consultation prevalence 2) the rate of first-time consultation for LBP and related the frequency to other musculoskeletal conditions and 3) the health care utilization of LBP patients compared to the general population.
METHODS: Using the health care register in southern Sweden (population 1.2 million), including diagnoses (ICD-10) by physicians, we identified all who in 2009 were diagnosed with LBP defined as lumbago with sciatica, low back pain, or other/unspecified dorsalgia. We defined first-time consultation as a consultation in 2009 without a record of a... (More) - OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) affects most people at some stage in life. However, the burden on the health care system is unclear. We studied: 1) the one-year consultation prevalence 2) the rate of first-time consultation for LBP and related the frequency to other musculoskeletal conditions and 3) the health care utilization of LBP patients compared to the general population.
METHODS: Using the health care register in southern Sweden (population 1.2 million), including diagnoses (ICD-10) by physicians, we identified all who in 2009 were diagnosed with LBP defined as lumbago with sciatica, low back pain, or other/unspecified dorsalgia. We defined first-time consultation as a consultation in 2009 without a record of a LBP diagnosis 2004-2008. Standardized health care utilization ratios were calculated for LBP patients compared to the general population seeking care.
RESULTS: The one-year consultation prevalence of LBP in the population was 3.8% (women=4.3%, men=3.3%) and increased with age. LBP had been recorded in 17.1% of all patients (women=16.5%, men=18.0%) who had been diagnosed with any musculoskeletal condition. The rate of first-time consultation was 238 per 10,000 adults (women=265, men=209). The health care utilization ratio in female and male patients with LBP was 1.74 (95% CI 1.73-1.75) and 1.81 (95% CI 1.80-1.82) respectively.
CONCLUSION: LBP, diagnosed in every 6(th) patient who consulted due to a musculoskeletal problem, is a public health concern that needs structured management. LBP patients consume close to twice as much health care as the general population and this warrants more awareness. © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2366850
- author
- Jöud, Anna
LU
; Petersson, Ingemar
LU
and Englund, Martin
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2012
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Arthritis Care and Research
- volume
- 64
- issue
- 7
- pages
- 1084 - 1088
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000305741000018
- pmid:22337573
- scopus:84863478238
- pmid:22337573
- ISSN
- 2151-4658
- DOI
- 10.1002/acr.21642
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 1824f24d-b3ec-4b06-a87d-b941fa8d9cd2 (old id 2366850)
- alternative location
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22337573?dopt=Abstract
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:23:16
- date last changed
- 2022-04-20 01:38:03
@article{1824f24d-b3ec-4b06-a87d-b941fa8d9cd2,
abstract = {{OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) affects most people at some stage in life. However, the burden on the health care system is unclear. We studied: 1) the one-year consultation prevalence 2) the rate of first-time consultation for LBP and related the frequency to other musculoskeletal conditions and 3) the health care utilization of LBP patients compared to the general population. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
METHODS: Using the health care register in southern Sweden (population 1.2 million), including diagnoses (ICD-10) by physicians, we identified all who in 2009 were diagnosed with LBP defined as lumbago with sciatica, low back pain, or other/unspecified dorsalgia. We defined first-time consultation as a consultation in 2009 without a record of a LBP diagnosis 2004-2008. Standardized health care utilization ratios were calculated for LBP patients compared to the general population seeking care. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
RESULTS: The one-year consultation prevalence of LBP in the population was 3.8% (women=4.3%, men=3.3%) and increased with age. LBP had been recorded in 17.1% of all patients (women=16.5%, men=18.0%) who had been diagnosed with any musculoskeletal condition. The rate of first-time consultation was 238 per 10,000 adults (women=265, men=209). The health care utilization ratio in female and male patients with LBP was 1.74 (95% CI 1.73-1.75) and 1.81 (95% CI 1.80-1.82) respectively. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
CONCLUSION: LBP, diagnosed in every 6(th) patient who consulted due to a musculoskeletal problem, is a public health concern that needs structured management. LBP patients consume close to twice as much health care as the general population and this warrants more awareness. © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.}},
author = {{Jöud, Anna and Petersson, Ingemar and Englund, Martin}},
issn = {{2151-4658}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{1084--1088}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Arthritis Care and Research}},
title = {{Low back pain - epidemiology of consultations.}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr.21642}},
doi = {{10.1002/acr.21642}},
volume = {{64}},
year = {{2012}},
}