Abstract
Chronic spinal pain, especially low-back pain and neck pain, is a leading cause of years of life with disability. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of chronic spinal pain among individuals aged 15 years or older and to identify the factors associated with it. Cross-sectional epidemiological study on a sample of the population of the city of São Paulo. Participants were selected using random probabilistic sampling and data were collected via face-to-face interviews. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), EuroQol-5D, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Fagerström test for nicotine dependence and Brazilian economic classification criteria were used. A total of 826 participants were interviewed. The estimated prevalence of chronic spinal pain was 22% (95% confidence interval, CI: 19.3-25.0%). The factors independently associated with chronic spinal pain were: female sex, age 30 years or older, schooling level of four years or less, symptoms compatible with anxiety and high physical exertion during the main occupation. Quality of life and self-rated health scores were significantly worse among individuals with chronic spinal pain. The prevalence of chronic spinal pain in this segment of the population of São Paulo was 22.0%. The factors independently associated with chronic pain were: female sex, age 30 years or older, low education, symptoms compatible with anxiety and physical exertion during the main occupation.
Highlights
Spinal pain is one of the most commonly reported musculoskeletal conditions.[1]
We compared the health-related quality of life of individuals with and without chronic spinal pain (CSP) and estimated the prevalence of chronic widespread pain (CWP) among individuals with CSP. This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted in the central-western area of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, which is covered by the Family Health Program (FHP)
The prevalence of chronic spinal pain was estimated at 16%, based on a recent study conducted at a primary healthcare unit in São Paulo.[31]
Summary
Spinal pain is one of the most commonly reported musculoskeletal conditions.[1] It has been estimated that 5-10% of cases of spinal pain become chronic[2,3] and one fifth lead to pain-related disability one year after the first pain episode.[4] Low-back pain and neck pain are the biggest and fourth biggest causes of years of life with disability worldwide, respectively, and the prevalence of neck pain is surpassed only by major depressive disorder and other musculoskeletal disorders.[5]. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines chronic pain as pain that persists past the normal time of tissue healing. Three months has been suggested as the most convenient point of division between acute and chronic pain. Chronic pain is a complex syndrome that involves biological, cognitive and lifestyle components.[6,7] The American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for fibromyalgia define chronic widespread pain (CWP) as pain in the left and right sides of the body, above and below the waistline, together with axial skeletal pain.[8]
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