LAS VEGAS—Nicotine dependence, obesity, alcohol abuse, and depressive disorders are risk factors for low back pain, according to a study presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Monitoring and counseling at-risk patients may prevent and minimize pain and improve quality of life, researchers said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2012 National Health Survey, nearly one-third of American adults reported that they had experienced low back pain during the previous 3 months. Determining modifiable risk factors for low back pain could help avoid or diminish the financial and emotional costs of this condition.
Researchers reviewed electronic records of more than 26 million patients from 13 health care systems across the United States, including 1.2 million patients diagnosed with low back pain (approximately 4.54% of the patient records).
The review found that 19.3% of the patients diagnosed with a depressive disorder reported lower back pain, as did 16.75% of patients diagnosed as obese (BMI > 30kg/m²), 16.53% of the patients diagnosed with nicotine dependence, and 14.66% with reported alcohol abuse. Patients with nicotine dependence, obesity, depressive disorders, and alcohol abuse had statistically significant relative risks of 4.489, 6.007, 5.511, and 3.326 for low back pain, respectively, when compared to other patients.
“This study used an electronic health care database to identify modifiable risk factors—obesity, depressive disorders, alcohol and tobacco use—in patients with low back pain,” said lead study author and orthopedic surgeon Scott Shemory, MD. “The findings will allow physicians to better counsel and more closely follow their high-risk patients.”